#TwitterBan: Pastor Adeboye defies Federal Government; says tweeting is a human right

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has joined voices faulting the Federal Government’s suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria.

Defying the Federal Government threat, Adeboye who has a large follower around the world tweeted that access to the micro-blogging site is a fundamental human right and is in accordance with Article 19 of the United Nations universal declaration of human rights.

The tweet read, “The Redeemed Christian Church of God is domiciled in more than 170 nations and territories. The tweets here are in accordance with Article 19 of the United Nations universal declaration of human rights.”

Article 19 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights read, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

Recall that on Friday last week, the Federal Government put a ban on Twitter operations in Nigeria barely a day after the microblogging site deleted President Muhammadu Buhari’s controversial tweet referencing the Nigerian civil war.

Thereafter, the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, on Saturday ordered the prosecution of Nigerians defying the government’s ban on Twitter without stating what law was being violated.

“We will invite journalists at the time of prosecution, and they will know which laws are used to prosecute. The point is Twitter has been banned. Anybody should not try to use Twitter,” he said.