Nigeria’s Twitter ban sets a dangerous precedent for the African continent considering that internet shutdowns are becoming more prevalent in recent times.

The electricity situation in Nigeria is so severe that in 2019 alone, the national grid collapsed more than ten times, resulting in nationwide blackouts. The epileptic power supply therefore becomes a point of concern as we wade through this pandemic.

The avalanche of video evidence made it impossible to ignore the calls for an end to police brutality in Nigeria, just like we have witnessed in Brazil and the US. Soon, the online outrage spilled onto the streets as #EndSARS protests broke out across the country on October 8 with Nigerians demanding for SARS to be disbanded and the perpetrators held accountable.

Unfortunately, the law in many African countries are inadequate to protect brave acts of citizen journalism. The civic space is increasingly shrinking and police officers are brutalizing people for daring to expose the truth. Even when people cite the position of international law as a defense for filming, they often get harassed even more.