Stop IPOB From Using Your Platform To Incite Violence, Lai Mohammed Tells Facebook  

Stop IPOB From Using Your Platform To Incite Violence, Lai Mohammed Tells Facebook

The Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has

tasked 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 Nigeria.

This demand was made  in Abuja on Tuesday at a meeting the minister held with a

a team from Facebook, according to a statement signed by spokesperson Segun Adeyemi.

According to him, Facebook has no justification for allowing its platform

to the organization to further its campaign of hate and

destabilization of the country. Since IPOB had been proscribed and classified as a terrorist organization.

His words:

“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 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.”

He maintained that the activities  of the proscribed group have real-life

implications, noting: ”By purveying hate and inciting violence,

people are getting killed while the private and public properties are being

attacked and destroyed. Security agencies and other symbols of

the government is their chosen target.”

The Minister expressed regret that despite the numerous complaints to Facebook on the

activities of the group, nothing has been done by the company to curtail

the group’s excesses on their 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 asserted.

The minister assured that 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 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 concluded.