Hate speech is now an act of terrorism in Nigeria, according to the country’s acting President, Yemi Osinbajo.
He announced on Thursday that hate speech under the country’s new anti-terrorism law now amounts to terrorism and taken seriously.
Yemi Osinbajo has been acting for his boss, ailing President Muhammadu Buhari who is currently on a sick leave in London for months now.
The acting President on his twitter account gave details of a speech he delivered on Thursday at a security forum in the capital Abuja on this latest changes to the country’s security laws.
He said “Hate speech is a specie of terrorism … We’ve drawn a line against hate speech, it will not be tolerated, it will be taken as an act of terrorism and all of the consequences will follow it.”
Osinbajo is now asking citizens to avoid speeches that create dissent and intimidate people since “they do a great disservice to our unity and nation.”
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
Silence in such situations can only be seen as an endorsement. Hate speech & the promotion of the same through history from Nazi (1/3)
— Prof Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) August 17, 2017
Germany & the extermination of Jews to the Rwandan genocide succeeded in achieving their barbarous ends by the silence of influential (2/3)
— Prof Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) August 17, 2017
voices. The silence of leaders at this time – in our country- will be a grave disservice to our country, its peace & its future. (3/3)
— Prof Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) August 17, 2017
Source: Africafeeds.com
