Anonymous, an online network known for launching cyber attacks against government institutions, has claimed responsibility for bringing down the website of Central Bank of Nigeria.

The move was taken in solidarity with the #EndSARS protesters.

Anonymous retweeted a tweet by one of its affiliates, @loriansynaro, which read in part, “#Anonymous #OpNigeria #EndSARS #EndSarsNow. The Nigerian central bank website has been taken #Offline.  https://cbn.gov.ng | TANGO DOWN.”

The website of Nigeria’s apex bank on Friday night displayed the message, “500 – Internal server error. There is a problem with the resource you are looking for, and it cannot be displayed.”

Spokesman for the CBN, Mr Isaac Okoroafor, could not be reached for comment on Friday as he did not respond to repeated calls.

Earlier, Anonymous had hacked the Twitter accounts of several government agencies including the National Broadcasting Commission which has in recent time been criticised for its highhandedness and stiff media regulations through its Broadcast Code which increased the fine for hate speech to N5 million.

The #EndSARS protests have been taking place across major cities in the country with youths demanding an end to police brutality and killings.

Major highways across the country have been blocked thereby grounding economic activities.

Punch