July 5, 2013
Nigeria: Gay Activists Cyberattack Gov't Portal
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
Nigeria's Ministry of Information says it has defeated a cyberattack on its government website by foreign gay-rights activists.
A statement from press secretary Joseph Mutah says Thursday night's hacking of www.nigeria.gov.ng was traced to activists who have recently attacked other governments' sites in a proclaimed fight for gay rights.
Local news reports said a message on the hacked site gave President Goodluck Jonathan 72 hours to veto a new law that would jail homosexuals.
The hacker threatened to "unleash a torrent of fury" starting with "some startling but not surprising evidence of corruption."
Mutah's statement Friday called it "a criminal attempt to blackmail countries" and said Nigerians "remain overwhelmingly opposed to the imposition of gay rights."
He says his ministry is taking measures to stem future attacks.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
