The Nigerian government on Tuesday asked Facebook and other social media platforms to stop allowing separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) from using their platforms to incite violence and instigate ethnic hatred in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed made the demand in Abuja on Tuesday at a meeting with a team from Facebook.
A recent report by the BBC had chronicled how IPOB activists based outside the country are using Facebook to disseminate hate speech and call for killings in Nigeria
The Minister noted that IPOB had been proscribed and classified as a terrorist organization by the Nigerian government, hence Facebook has no justification for yielding its platform to the organization to further what he described as ‘its campaign of hate and destabilization of the country.’
“I have called this meeting to enable us to discuss the increasing use of Facebook by separatists and anarchists, especially those of them based outside the country, to instigate violence and ethnic hatred in Nigeria.
“For whatever reason, they seem to have now chosen Facebook as their platform of choice. And their tools include disinformation, incendiary statements and hate speech. They use Facebook broadcasts to reach their followers, who are in thousands. They tag those opposed to their violent ways as ‘saboteurs’ who must be attacked, maimed and killed. They use both English and their local language as it suits them,” Alhaji Mohammed said.
He said the actions of the proscribed group have real-life implications, adding: ”By purveying hate and inciting violence, people are getting killed while private and public property are being attacked and destroyed. Security agencies and other symbols of government are their choice targets.”
The Minister said despite the numerous complaints to Facebook on the activities of IPOB, nothing has been done by the company to curtail the group’s excesses on the social media platform.
“Our social media people have been monitoring these separatists, anarchists and purveyors of hate, and have been reporting their atrocious actions to Facebook, but all they get are default responses that their complaints have been received and are being looked into. Most often than not, nothing is done about such complaints… The truth is that whatever Facebook is doing to check these people is mere tokenism and is totally ineffective,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed said the government would be monitoring Facebook and other platforms closely in the days ahead to ensure compliance with the demand, as it steps up the campaign for the responsible use of social media.
“We have always advocated a responsible use of social media, and consistently called on all stakeholders to join us in achieving this. Some have tagged our efforts as an attempt to stifle social media. They are wrong, because we have no intention of preventing Nigerians from using social media responsibly. All we have been advocating is a responsible use of social media,” he said.
