Sowore Sues SSS, Meta, and X Over Alleged Censorship of Post Calling Tinubu, Criminal

Human Rights Activist and #RevolutionNow convener Omoyele Sowore, has filed two fundamental rights enforcement suits at the Federal High Court in Abuja against the Department of State Services (DSS/SSS), Meta Platforms Inc. (owners of Facebook and Instagram), and X Corporation (formerly Twitter).

In the suits, filed through his legal counsel, Tope Temokun, Sowore is challenging what he described as “unconstitutional censorship” allegedly carried out by the DSS in collaboration with the social media platforms. The censorship, he claims, targeted his posts that labelled President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a “criminal.”

According to the court filings, Sowore argues that the removal or suppression of his posts constitutes a violation of his constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression as enshrined in Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution.

“This is not just about one post or one person. This is about the survival of free speech in Nigeria,” the statement from Temokun Chambers reads. “If state agencies can dictate to global platforms who may speak and what may be said, then no Nigerian is safe.”

The lawsuits contend that the DSS has no legal authority to direct or influence the moderation of speech on private social media platforms. The suits also accuse Meta and X of enabling authoritarian censorship by complying with state demands to delete or suppress critical political content.

“Our prayers before the Court are simple,” Temokun stated. “That the SSS 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, who has long been a vocal critic of successive Nigerian governments, warned of the dangers of digital repression, urging Nigerians, journalists, and civil society groups to remain vigilant.

“Today it is Sowore; tomorrow it may be you,” the statement concluded. “We shall resist every attempt to turn Nigeria into a digital dictatorship.”

Meanwhile, the DSS also filed a 5 count charge against Sowore, Facebook and Meta for not deleting the posts allegedly calling President Bola Tinubu a criminal after failing to get Meta and X Corporation to ban the accounts of Sowore.