Return to dictatorship? Outcry over Nigeria Twitter ban

Nigeria Twitter tiff

Nigeria banned the microblogging platform Twitter. PHOTO | AFP

Photo credit: Loic Venance | AFP

Nigeria's media and activists fear their country is slipping into repression after the government suspended Twitter in Africa's most populous nation, where hyper-connected youth embraced the platform as a means of protest.

The decision on Friday, days after Twitter deleted a remark from President Muhammadu Buhari, has already provoked international outcry over freedom of expression and calls for protests online and on the street.