Warring with words : exploring the tension between hate speech and freedom of expression in Nigeria

Nigerians seem to enjoy profiling and pouring invectives on one another especially whenever they congregate in their in-groups to discuss the Nigerian condition. In fact the comments section in many online articles on controversial issues about Nigeria often appears to be open arenas for inter-ethnic, inter-regional or inter-religious finger-pointing, in which hate speeches are readily deployed to castigate the others while defending the in-group. The ease with which Nigerians indulge in venomous hate-filled ethnic, religious and regional profiling on a whim raises a fundamental question of how to control the menace without undermining the free speech principle that is a key building block of democracy.