International human rights groups have also
condemned the move, which followed previous attempts by the government of
Africa's most populous country to regulate social media.
Nigerian telecoms operators complied with a
government directive Friday to suspend access to Twitter indefinitely.
The diplomatic missions of the EU, US, Britain,
Canada, and Ireland issued a joint statement late Saturday condemning the ban.
"Banning systems of expression is not
the answer," it said.
"Precisely the moment when Nigeria
needs to foster inclusive dialogue and expression of opinions, as well as share
vital information in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic."
"The path to a more secure Nigeria
lies in more, not less, communication," it added.
More than 39 million Nigerians have a
Twitter account, according to NOI polls, a public opinion and research
organisation based in Nigeria.
The platform has played an important role
in public discourse in the country, with hashtags #BringBackOurGirls after Boko
Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in 2014, and #EndSARS during anti-police
brutality protests last year.
The government's suspension came after
Twitter on Wednesday deleted a remark on President Muhammadu Buhari's account
in which he referred to the country's civil war four decades ago in a warning
about recent unrest.
The 78-year-old president, a former
general, referred to "those misbehaving" in recent violence in the
southeast, where officials blame a proscribed separatist group IPOB for attacks
on police and election offices.
'Misinformation'
"Those of us in the fields for 30
months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they
understand," the president had posted on Twitter.
The presidency denied late on Saturday that
the Twitter suspension was a response to the removal of that post.
"There has been a litany of problems
with the social media platform in Nigeria, where misinformation and fake news
spread through it have had real world violent consequences," a presidency
spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement.
Shehu said the removal of Buhari's tweet
was "disappointing" and said "major tech companies must be alive
to their responsibilities."
Twitter said it was "deeply concerned
by the blocking of Twitter in Nigeria."
"Access to the free and #OpenInternet
is an essential human right in modern society. We will work to restore access
for all those in Nigeria who rely on Twitter to communicate and connect with
the world. #KeepitOn," the company said in a statement.
"VPN app" was the second most
searched trend Saturday on Google in Nigeria, as virtual private networks can
enable Twitter users to bypass the ban.
Nigeria warned however that it would
prosecute violators.
"Attorney General of the Federation
and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has directed for immediate
prosecution of offenders of the Federal Government ban on Twitter operations in
Nigeria," spokesman Umar Jibrilu Gwandu said.
Amnesty International condemned the ban,
calling on Nigeria to "immediately reverse the unlawful suspension".
"This repressive action is a clear
attempt to censor dissent & stifle the civic space," Human Rights
Watch researcher Anietie Ewang said.