Nigeria Twitter ban: Court says people should not be punished

A West African court has ordered the Nigerian authorities not to prosecute people for using Twitter while it considers a suit seeking to overturn a ban on its use.

The Ecowas Court of Justice said the government’s indefinite suspension of the social media platform earlier this month violated the right to freedom of expression.

Aisha Yesufu, co-founder of the #BringBackOurGirls movement created to bring attention to the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls in 2014, was among those who brought the case.

But the BBC’s Nduka Orjinmo says the Nigerian government does not always comply with such court orders.

This same court had in the past ordered the release of former national security adviser Sambo Dasuki but he still remains in custody.