Saturday, July 11, 2026

Malami violates Buhari Twitter ban, deploys VPN to deactivate account

This action by qualifies Mr Malami for arrest and prosecution, going by his directive.

• June 8, 2021
Malami and screenshot
A photo of Malami and screenshot used to illustrate the story

Attorney-General Abubakar Malami has violated President Muhammadu Buhari’s  ban on Twitter in Nigeria.

Mr Malami was caught using virtual private network (VPN) to bypass Buhari regime’s access restriction to login in to the micro-blogging site on Tuesday.

He gleefully announced the deactivation of his Twitter account on Facebook not minding that he has broken an order laid by his principal.

The Nigerian government last week Friday banned Twitter, blocking citizens’ access to the micro-blogging platform after Mr Buhari’s tweet, deemed a threat to commit genocide in the fashion of the civil war genocide against the South-East people was deleted by Twitter.

On Saturday afternoon, Mr Malami doubled down on government’s action by issuing a directive for the prosecution of Nigerians seen bypassing the government’s order. 

Peoples Gazette, however, observed that Mr Malami deactivated his account on Tuesday, an action that requires one to first login to the micro-blogging site to do. 

This action qualifies Mr Malami for arrest and prosecution, going by his directive.

Since the declaration of Twitter ban, Nigerians have condemned the action as draconian and illegal.

Many citizens continue to defy the government to use the micro-blogging platform. 

Many activists and foreign missions in Nigeria say Twitter ban is an attack on the freedom of expression in Nigeria by the Buhari regime.

Before now, the Buhari-led government has been scheming to gag the free speech through an obnoxious social media Bill which continues to encounter pushbacks from Nigerians.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Ahmed Abubakar Audi

States

NSCDC boss lauds Oyo kidnap victims’ rescue team

He described the successful rescue mission as a clear demonstration of the strength of inter-agency collaboration and intelligence sharing.

Oil pipelines

Economy

Oilserv begins offshore pipeline installation for NLNG gas transmission expansion

The project forms part of the NLNG’s strategy to expand its gas transmission network.

Newborn baby used to illustrate the story

States

Bauchi govt urges increased birth registration to protect children’s rights

She noted that reliable population data remains the foundation of effective governance.

President Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima

Politics

Tinubu-Shettima ticket roadmap to APC’s victory in 2027: Zamfara Lawmaker

The lawmaker described it as a milestone toward the APC’s victory in the upcoming general elections.

Police arrest 14 suspected drug peddlers in Yobe

States

Police arrest 14 suspected drug peddlers in Yobe

The suspects were arrested during an operation targeting criminal hideouts and drug joints.