By Abiola Olawale
A Prominent human rights activist and 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress(AAC) Omoyele Sowore has filed lawsuits against the Department of State Services (DSS), Meta Platforms Inc. (parent company of Facebook), and X Corp. (formerly Twitter).
The countersuit, lodged at the Federal High Court in Abuja, is seeking judicial protection for free speech rights amid allegations of unconstitutional censorship.
This came after a controversy ignited on August 26, 2025, when Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters and convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, posted on X criticizing President Bola Tinubu.
In the tweet, Sowore accused Tinubu of lying about the absence of corruption during a speech in Brazil, labeling him a “criminal.”
On September 7, 2025, the DSS issued a formal letter to X Corp, demanding the immediate deactivation of Sowore’s account (@YeleSowore) and removal of the post.
The agency cited violations of Nigerian laws, including the Cyber Crimes Act 2025 and the Criminal Code Act, arguing that the content constituted “false information,” “hate speech,” and a threat to national security.
The DSS’s one-week ultimatum expired on September 15, 2025, without compliance from the platforms or Sowore, who refused to delete the post.
In response, the DSS filed a five-count criminal charge against Sowore, Meta, and X at the Federal High Court (case marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025). In the charges, the DSS accused Sowore of allegedly publishing defamatory and inciting material capable of provoking unrest.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by Sowore’s lawyer, Tope Temokun, confirmed that a countersuit has been filed.
The statement reads in part: “These lawsuits were filed to challenge the unconstitutional censorship initiated by the DSS against Sowore’s accounts maintained with Meta and X.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
