Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, has asked Facebook and other social media platforms to stop allowing the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to use their platforms to incite violence and instigate ethnic hatred in the country.
The minister, at a meeting with a team from Facebook, on Tuesday, said since the Nigerian government has proscribed IPOB, Facebook has no justification for yielding its platform to the organisation to further its campaign of hate and destabilisation 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.
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“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 the 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,” Mohammed said.
He said the actions of IPOB have real-life implications, adding that 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.”
