The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD has
raised fresh alarm that the persistent hate speech on social media is
currently threatening the conduct of the much-awaited 2019 general
elections.
Raising the alarm at its monthly press conference in Kano yesterday,
CITAD Coordinator, Hate Speech Project, Malam Hamza Ibrahim said the
last few months have been alarming as far as the spread of hate
speeches on the social media was concerned, adding that the rise in
ethnic, religious and election-related hate speech points to clear
polarisation and intolerance.
According to him, between October 1 and November 30, four hundred and
forty three (443) hate speeches were tracked on Facebook, Twitter,
Websites of conventional and online newspapers and the hate speeches
comprised religious-based, ethnic based, election-related,
farmers-herdsmen based, Biafra agitation and the host of others.
He however stated that in October 2018, two hundred and fifty
two(252) hate speeches were captured, out of the number, one hundred
and forty five (145) were ethnic based, fifty six (56) religious
based, twenty eight(28) election-related, seventeen(17) Biafra
related, three(3) farmers-herdsmen (3) , two(2) gender based and one
(1) access to resources related one.
He pointed out that CITAD had also noted with concern that the volume
of hate speech in hard copy newspapers was minimal and that their
websites gave fertile ground for exchange of hate speeches among their
readers stressing that condoning illegal practice especially in the
media was highly dangerous not only to elections but to national
unity, peace and development.