Former United States president Donald Trump hailed the Nigerian government after it banned Twitter in the country.

Trump praises Nigeria for banning Twitter

The social media platform had deleted Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari's tweet for breaching its rules.

Following the ban, Trump praised the country, urging other countries to follow suit, reported BBC.

"Congratulations to the country of Nigeria, who just banned Twitter because they banned their president," he said in a statement released on June 8 (Tue).

"Who are they to dictate good and evil, if they themselves are evil?" Trump added, referring to the social media platform.

He also called for other countries to ban Twitter and Facebook for not allowing "free and open speech".

Trump banned on Twitter and Facebook earlier this year

Earlier in January, social media platforms Twitter and Facebook banned Trump from its platforms for violating their policies, and for "inciting violence" during the storming of the U.S. Capitol.

Following the ban of his social media accounts, Trump launched a blog last month but was closed due to poor traffic, reported BBC.

Nigeria bans Twitter for deleting president's Tweet

Nigeria indefinitely suspended Twitter's services in the country after it deleted the Nigerian leader's tweet about Nigeria's past civil war, threatening supporters of a secessionist movement in the southeastern part of the country, according to CNN.

"Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand," the now-deleted tweet by Buhari wrote.

The Nigeria-Biafra war saw around one to three million deaths in the span of roughly two years.

Nigerian authorities accused Twitter of threatening the country's "corporate existence" by allowing "misinformation and fake news to spread".

Those breaching the ban will be prosecuted, said the local authorities, although no arrests have been announced yet.

The move has been condemn by some Western countries, and the body representing lawyers in Nigeria.

A group of human rights organisations says that it has filed a case with a West African regional court against the ban on Twitter, pointing out that it goes against the right to the freedom of expression, reported BBC.

Top image collage via Getty images