Nigeria 'in discussions with Twitter' after ban

Nigeria says it's in discussions with Twitter, having suspended the social media platform over the weekend.

After meeting diplomats, Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama said the government would see how negotiations progressed before making any further decisions.

In their latest move against Twitter, the authorities have ordered broadcasters to deactivate their accounts.

Western diplomats have criticised the suspension, saying free speech is a key part of democracy.

The Nigerian government has denied it ordered the shutdown after Twitter removed a tweet from President Muhammadu Buhari threatening a secessionist group.

BBC Newsday spoke to Gbenga Sesan of the Paradigm Initiative, which offers digital opportunities to young people across Africa, who says the government's ban had backfired:

"Guess what? The only people who have been muted right now appear to be the government themselves. Yes, some businesses are not tweeting because clearly they do not want to be punished, but the citizens they were trying to proscribe are still tweeting."

Source: BBC