Hate speech: is there a policing role for the military?

Femi Falana SAN

This just in from Nigeria:

Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, says it is unlawful for the military to arrest perpetrators of hate speech in the country. 

Falana said this while reacting to the purported directive of the federal government to the military to clamp down on purveyors of hate speech. 

Earlier this week, the military had announced that it will be on the lookout for comments and utterances that could threaten the nation’s peaceful co-existence. 

In a statement issued on Saturday, Falana said it is only the Nigerian police force that is empowered to carry out such a directive in line with their responsibility of maintaining law and order.

The full article appears here.