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The Federal Government says Twitter and its founder, Jack Dorsey, are vicariously liable for the losses the country suffered during the #EndSARS protest.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated this on Tuesday when he featured on “Politics Nationwide,’’ a Radio Nigeria call-in programme monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
Lai Mohammed alleged that Dorsey raised funds through Bitcoins to sponsor the #EndSARS protest while his platform, Twitter, was used to fuel the crisis.
He said when he made the allegations earlier; Nigerians did not take him seriously until an online media outfit carried out an investigation and fact-checking.
The minister said the online publication confirmed that Dorsey retweets some of the posts by some of the coalition’s supporting the #EndSARS protest.
He said it was also confirmed that the Twitter founder launched fundraising asking people to donate via Bitcoins.
The minister said Dorsey further launched Emoji to make the #EndSARS protest visible on the microblogging site.
He said Dorsey also retweets the tweets of some foreign and local supporters of #EndSARS.
“If you ask people to donate money via bitcoins for #EndSARS protesters then you are vicariously liable for whatever is the outcome of the protest.
“We have forgotten that #EndSARS led to the loss of lives, including 37 policemen, six soldiers, 57 civilians while properties worth billions of naira were destroyed.
“164 police vehicles and 134 police stations were razed to the ground, 265 private corporate organization were looted while 243 public property were looted.
“81 warehouses were looted while over 200 brand new buses bought by Lagos State Government were burnt to ashes,’’ he said.
The minister said it was unfair to conclude that the operation of Twitter was suspended indefinitely because it deleted President Muhammadu Buhari’s message.
He said the government was unambiguous that the action was taken because the platform was being used to promote the views of those who wanted to destabilize the country.
“The promoter consistently used the platform to direct his loyalists to kill Nigerian soldiers and policemen, run down INEC offices and destroys all symbols of Nigeria’s sovereignty.
“Every attempt to persuade Twitter to deny its platform to this separatist leader was not taken serious,’’ he said.
The minister said the Federal Government has no apology to offer to those unhappy over the suspension of Twitter’s operations in the country.
He said a country must exist in peace before people could exercise freedom of speech and fight for a source of livelihood. (NAN)
Cyber politics is unpredictable