Hate Speech: ‘No Attempt To Muzzle Nigerians Will Succeed’ Says IBB

Former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (rtd.) has weighed in on the controversy trailing the Hate Speech Bill presently being considered for passage by the Nigerian Senate.

IBB warned proponents of the bill against actions that could result in gagging of the media in the name of stopping hate speech.

Speaking in Minna, Niger State, IBB warned that attempts to “muzzle” Nigerians could backfire.

“One thing I have discovered is that no attempt to muzzle Nigerians will succeed,” IBB said while receiving the National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chris Isiguzo, at his residence in Minna.

The hate speech and social media bills which are being debated at the Senate have continued to draw negative reactions from civil society organizations and prominent Nigerians.

The hate speech bill proposes death by hanging for offenders while the social media bill seeks three-month jail, among others, for offensive users.

On Wednesday, some protesters stormed the National Assembly complex to register their objection to the bills.