Nigeria’s acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo has stated on Twitter that the Nigerian government has drawn a line on hate speeches, linking it to terrorism.
In a series of tweets, he wrote, “FG has today drawn the line on hate speech. Hate speech is a specie of terrorism,” he wrote on Twitter.
“The Terrorism Prevention Act 2011 as amended defines terrorism as an act which deliberately done with malice which may seriously harm a country or is intended or can be reasonably be regarded as having been done to seriously intimidate a population,” he added.
He continued by saying, “Silence in such situations can only be seen as an endorsement. Hate speech and the promotion of the same through history from Nazi Germany and the extermination of Jews o the Rwandan genocide succeeded in achieving their barbarous ends by the silence of influential voices.
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“The silence of leaders at this time – in our country- will be a grave disservice to our country, its peace and its future,” he noted.
Hate speeches in Nigeria became a national headline when the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) described Nigeria as a zoo and threatened to secede from the west Africa country.
But it heightened when some northern youths under the guise of Arewa Youths told Igbos to leave the north on or before the 1 October, Nigeria’s independent day.
FG has today drawn the line on hate speech. Hate speech is a specie of terrorism. The Terrorism Prevention Act 2011 as amended (1/3)
— Prof Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) August 17, 2017
defines terrorism as an act which deliberately done with malice which may seriously harm a country or is intended or can be (2/3)
— Prof Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) August 17, 2017
reasonably be regarded as having been done to seriously intimidate a population (3/3)
— Prof Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) August 17, 2017
