Nigeria's Senate leader vows to shelve social media curbs

Proposed laws to limit social media in Nigeria will not be passed, the leader of the country's Senate said on Friday, after rights groups voiced doubts about curbs on freedom of speech.

The Frivolous Petitions Prohibition Bill, submitted to parliament last year, aimed to punish "abusive" or false statements published online against the government or individuals.

Anyone found guilty risked up to two years in jail or a stiff fine, according to the proposal, which covered publications sent "through text message, tweets, WhatsApp or any social media post".

But Senate President Bukola Saraki on Friday said the "controversial aspects" of what has been dubbed the "Anti-Social Media Bill" would "not see the light of day".

The proposals were "dead on arrival", he said in a statement on his website abubakarbukolasaraki.com after addressing delegates at Lagos Social Media Week.

Online publications, including those run by the overseas diaspora, have been among the most vocal critics of Nigerian politics and politicians, particularly against corruption.

Nigerian users of Twitter and Facebook are also vocal in contrast to many newspapers and broadcasters, which are either state-owned, allied to politicians, political parties or both.

Rights and press freedom groups said the bill was redundant as Nigeria already has laws against defamation and if passed, would stifle criticism