Twitter has removed a tweet from Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in which he threatened to punish pro-Biafra groups blamed for the escalation of attacks on government and security officials.
Buhari’s tweet violated the social media company’s “abusive behavior” policy, resulting in a 12-hour suspension of his account.
The tweet promised a response to waves of attacks blamed on the Eastern Security Network (ESN), an armed group formed by the Indigenous People of Biafra, the main pro-Biafran secessionist movement (Ipob).
The ESN has been blamed for attacks on police stations, government facilities, and electoral offices in south-east Nigeria in recent months, as well as the deaths of a number of government and public service workers.
Buhari mentioned his time as a brigade major in the 1967 Biafra conflict, when an attempted secession for an independent state ignited one of Nigeria’s darkest episodes. Nigeria’s military was widely accused of possible war crimes and abuses, and millions of people perished of famine and malnutrition after the army imposed a government-backed blockade.
“Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Biafra war,” Buhari wrote. “Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.”
Several Twitter users said they reported the tweet for inciting violence in the Igbo-majority region.
The president’s remarks in the tweet were taken from a speech he gave earlier in response to a wave of arson attacks on various electoral offices.
“I think we have given them enough latitude. They have made their case, they just wanted to destroy the country,” he said, appearing to reference secessionist agitators. “Whoever wanted diversion or destruction of the system at this point, I think will soon have the shock of their lives,” he also warned.
Lai Mohammed, Nigeria’s communication minister, slammed Twitter’s action. “Twitter may have its own rules, it’s not the universal rule,” he told reporters. “If Mr President anywhere in the world feels very bad and concerned about a situation, he is free to express such views.”
The president’s remarks, which are among the most vehement yet on the crisis in the south-east, came as pro-Biafra militants are blamed for mounting assault on security personnel and government officials across the region.
Secessionist movement erupted across the south-east in 2015, when the former military commander won a historic election, in the most visible upsurge of secessionist fervor since the Biafra war. Nigerian police have brutally suppressed protests and mass boycotts since then.
Following the designation of Ipob as a terrorist group in 2017, Nigerian security forces have gradually begun military actions. The number of attacks attributed to the ESN has increased dramatically this year. Despite denying responsibility for several of the attacks, the organization has admitted to forming in reaction to armed threats.
The sad memory of the Biafra war lingers in Nigeria; those who perished are rarely publicly recognized, and reports of military atrocities are never acknowledged. The war is not taught in schools, and portrayals of the fighting in popular culture are heavily suppressed.
