By Ayomide Otitoju
Human rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, has filed a lawsuit against the Department of State Services (DSS), Meta Platforms Inc. (owners of Facebook), and X Corp. (formerly Twitter), at the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenging what he described as unconstitutional censorship of his social media accounts.
In the suit, filed by his counsel, Tope Temokun, Sowore asked the court to restrain the DSS from directing global platforms to delete his posts, including one in which he referred to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.”
“The lawsuit is about the survival of free speech in Nigeria,” Temokun said in a statement on Tuesday. “If state agencies can dictate to global platforms who may speak and what may be said, then no Nigerian is safe. Their voices will be silenced at the whim of those in power.”
Citing Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression, the activist argued that censorship of political criticism is alien to democracy. He also accused Meta and X of complicity, alleging that compliance with unlawful censorship demands makes them enablers of repression.
The suit seeks declarations that the DSS lacks legal authority to censor Nigerians on social media, and that Meta and X must not allow their platforms to become tools for authoritarian control.
“This struggle is not about personalities; it is about principle,” the statement read. “We shall resist every attempt to turn Nigeria into a digital dictatorship.”
Meanwhile, the DSS has filed a five-count criminal charge against Sowore at the Federal High Court in Abuja. According to court documents, the activist is accused of defaming President Tinubu by calling him a “criminal” and of publishing false information likely to cause a breakdown of law and order, contrary to the Cybercrimes Amendment Act, 2024.
The charges, filed on September 16, 2025, by the Federal Ministry of Justice, have not yet been assigned to a judge. Exhibits listed include printouts of Sowore’s posts on X and Facebook, as well as letters from the DSS to both platforms requesting deletion of the content.
Sowore, a former presidential candidate, has frequently clashed with security agencies over his criticism of successive governments. He has vowed not to retract his remarks about Tinubu, insisting that holding leaders accountable is a constitutional duty.
