Human rights activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, has filed two fundamental rights actions at the Federal High Court, Abuja, against the Department of State Service (DSS), Meta (owners of Facebook), and X Corp (formerly Twitter).
The case was confirmed in a statement signed by Sowore’s lawyer, Tope Temokun, on Tuesday.
According to him, the lawsuits challenge what he described as unconstitutional censorship of his client’s social media accounts.
“These lawsuits were filed to challenge the unconstitutional censorship initiated by the DSS against Sowore’s accounts maintained with Meta and X,” they stated
Background
This legal move comes shortly after the Federal Government filed a criminal suit against Sowore for allegedly cyberbullying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, was lodged at the Federal High Court in Abuja and also lists Meta and X as co-defendants.
The five-count charge, filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mohammed Abubakar, accuses Sowore of publishing false and defamatory claims against the President.
The government argues that the statement was false, defamatory, and capable of provoking public disorder.
Prosecutors maintain that Sowore’s post violates Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024. The section criminalizes the use of online platforms to spread false claims intended to incite unrest or damage reputations.
The charges came just days after the Department of State Services (DSS) reportedly requested that Meta and X take down Sowore’s posts, an action now at the center of Sowore’s counter-lawsuit.
Survival of free speech
Sowore’s legal team stressed that the matter goes beyond his personal rights, arguing that it is tied to the protection of free speech in Nigeria.
“The lawsuit states categorically that this is about the survival of free speech in Nigeria. 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 whims of those in power.”
They argued that political censorship contradicts Nigeria’s democratic values, insisting that Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of expression.
“Censorship of political criticism is alien to democracy. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in Section 39, guarantees every citizen the right to freedom of expression, without interference. No security agency, no matter how powerful, can suspend or delete those rights.”
Holding Meta and X accountable
The suit also seeks to hold global tech platforms accountable for cooperating with state censorship.
“Meta and X must also understand that when they bow to unlawful censorship demands, they become complicit in the suppression of the struggle for liberty. They cannot hide behind neutrality while authoritarianism is exported onto their platforms.”
The prayers before the court include a declaration that the SSS lacks the power to censor Nigerians online, that Meta and X should not act as tools of repression, and that Sowore’s rights—and those of other Nigerians—must be safeguarded.
“Our prayers before the Court are simple: That the SSS @OfficialDSSNG has no power in law to censor Nigerians on social media; That Meta and X must not lend their platforms as tools of repression; and That our client’s rights and by extension, the rights of all Nigerians, be fully protected against unlawful censorship.”
Sowore’s lawyer further called on citizens, journalists, and rights groups to resist attempts to curtail free expression.
The lawyer emphasized that the struggle is not about personalities but about principle, vowing to resist every attempt to turn Nigeria into a digital dictatorship.
