Abajua/Lagos - Nigeria's information minister said "some form of regulation" could be imposed on social media just a week after protesters spread images and videos of a deadly shooting using Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Images, video and an Instagram live feed from a popular DJ spread news of shootings in Lagos on Oct. 20, when witnesses and rights groups said the military fired on peaceful protesters.
The protesters had been demonstrating for nearly two weeks to demand an end to police brutality. The army denied its soldiers were there.
Social media helped spread word of the shootings worldwide, and international celebrities from Beyonce and Lewis Hamilton to Pope Francis since called on the country to resolve the conflict peacefully.
Information Minister Lai Mohammed told a panel at the National Assembly on Tuesday that "fake news" is one of the biggest challenges facing Nigeria.
Watch Eyewitness And Video Evidence of the #LekkiMassacre of Peaceful, Unarmed #EndSARS Protesters. You Can Hear The Gunshots and See The Flashes As The Bullets Are Fired. Generals @Mbuhari and Buratai Committed Crimes Against Humanity and Must Be Tried by the @IntlCrimCourt pic.twitter.com/bdoUIfRzPN
A spokesman for the minister confirmed the comments, and said "the use of the social media to spread fake news and disinformation means there is the need to do something about it."
This is why we protest, #EndSARS pic.twitter.com/Q4MTxxRk2K
— Same Ol’ G (@CixqoCixqo) October 25, 2020
Officials have said some videos and photos posted during the protests were fake news but have not said that about the shootings.
VIDEO: 'It Belongs To Baba' - Faces Of Government-hired Thugs Who Attacked #EndSARS Protesters In Abuja, Avoided Vandalising CBN Headquarters Because It Belongs To @MBuhari
— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) October 28, 2020
WATCH FULL VIDEO: https://t.co/kUUkS7tkwR pic.twitter.com/Qosalrgefb
In the weeks before the shootings, protesters had also used social media to organise, raise money and share what they said was proof of police harassment, which increased pressure on authorities to respond to their demands.
Twitter Inc CEO Jack Dorsey Tweeted to encouraged his followers to contribute, and the hashtag #EndSARS was trending for several days, referencing the widely feared Special Anti-Robbery Squad that they successfully demanded be abolished.