Photos: Twitter Policy responds to Nigeria's decision to ban Twitter over deletion of a tweet from President Buhari

Twitter declared access to its platform a 'human right' on Saturday, prompting conservatives to accuse the firm of hypocrisy after it banned former President Donald Trump and others for violating its terms of service.

The social media giant's statement came as a response to Nigeria's decision to ban Twitter over the deletion of a tweet from Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari that was seen as threatening separatist movements. 

'We are deeply concerned by the blocking of Twitter in Nigeria. Access to the free and #OpenInternet is an essential human right in modern society,' the company said in a statement. 

'We will work to restore access for all those in Nigeria who rely on Twitter to communicate and connect with the world. #KeepitOn.' President Buhari's tweet reportedly referenced the bloody civil war in Nigeria's Biafra region in the late 1960s, during which a million people were killed, in what some perceived as a veiled threat to modern day separatists. 'Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat' the secessionists 'in the language they understand,' reads the tweet from Buhari - who was a military officer in the civil war. Twitter removed the tweet and said it violated policies against 'abusive behavior.' The company's rules prohibit promoting or threatening violence. Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Information and Culture then tweeted on Friday that the social media account would be banned across the country with violators reportedly facing prosecution. 'The Federal Government has suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria,' the ministry tweeted.