Former US president Donald Trump has praised Nigeria for banning the social media platform Twitter, a move which prompted international condemnation.
Trump, who is subject to a lifetime ban from the platform, commended the Nigerian government for its stance in a statement on Tuesday.
"Congratulations to the country of Nigeria, who just banned Twitter because they banned their President," Trump said.
"More countries should ban Twitter and Facebook for not allowing free and open speech," Trump said, adding "Perhaps I should have done it while I was President."
Nigeria announced the indefinite suspension of Twitter on Friday, citing the "persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria's corporate existence," Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed said.
The suspension came days after the platform removed a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari and suspended the account for 12 hours.
Twitter 'deeply concerned'
The decision to delete the tweet was "disappointing" but not the only reason for the nationwide ban, said Buhari, who added that the ban was temporary but did not give a date for when it would be lifted.
Twitter was "deeply concerned" by the ban and would "work to restore access for all those in Nigeria who rely on Twitter to communicate and connect with the world," it said in a statement.
"Access to the free and open internet is an essential human right in modern society," Twitter said.
Many groups, including the Nigerian Bar Association, threatened legal action if the government does not rescind the ban, while Amnesty International called for an immediate reversal and countries including the US, the European Union and Canada condemned the move.
