In response to the suit filed by the Department of State Service (DSS), Omoyele Sowore, the founder of Sahara Reporters, has filed two fundamental rights actions against the Service before the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Also joined in the suit are Meta (owners of Facebook) and X Corp. (formerly Twitter).
In the suit, Sowore challenges the DSS’s unconstitutional censorship of social media accounts maintained with Meta and X.
According to him, through his lawyer, Tope Temokun, Esq., “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 whim 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 can suspend or delete those rights, no matter how powerful.
“Meta and X must also understand this: when they bow to unlawful censorship demands, they become complicit in suppressing liberty. They cannot hide behind neutrality while authoritarianism is exported onto their platforms.
“Our prayers before the Court are simple: 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.
“We call on all lovers of freedom, journalists, human rights defenders, and the Nigerian people to stand firm. Today it is Sowore; tomorrow it may be you.
This struggle is not about personalities. It is about principle. And we shall resist every attempt to turn Nigeria into a digital dictatorship.”
The DSS filed a suit, claiming that Sowore made false social media posts about President Bola Tinubu.
According to the DSS, the post could cause the breakdown of law and order in the country.
The criminal charges filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja also have X. Incorporation and Meta (Facebook) as two other defendants.
In the 5-count criminal charges marked FHC/ABJ/CR)481/2025, Sowore was accused of using his official X handle page at Yele Sowore to tweet “This criminal @ official PBAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!.
The alleged offending post, said to be contrary to Section 24(2) (b) of the Cybercrimes Prohibition and Prevention Act 2024, was said to have been made on August 25 within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court.
In count two, Sowore was said to have used his official Facebook page on August 26 to send the same false message, which caused a breakdown of law and order in the country, especially among those with divergent views on President Bola Tinubu’s person.
The alleged offence is said to be contrary to Section 24(2) (b) of the Cybercrimes Prohibition and Prevention Act 2024
In count three, the activist was accused of using X’s instrumentality, via his official account X account at Yele Sowore, to publish defamatory material on his online platform, to wit: “This criminal @ official PBAT Actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!” against the personality and reputation of President Bola Tinubu.
He was said to have committed an offence contrary to section 375 of the Criminal Code.
The Department of State Service DSS which filed the charges on behalf of the federal government, also accused Sowore of using the instrumentality of his Facebook platform to publish defamatory material against the Nigerian President, contrary to section 375 of the Criminal Code.
In count five, the defendant was alleged to have the intent to cause public fear and disturbances by publishing false information against the reputation of President Bola Tinubu, contrary to section 59 of the Criminal Code Act and punishable under the same act.
The Director of the Public Prosecution of the Federation, DPPF, Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar, signed the charges.
Meanwhile, no date has been fixed for the arraignment of the defendants.
Two weeks ago, the DSS wrote that Sowore and other defendants should pull down the offending post or be prepared to face the legal consequences.
The charges read, “That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult, male on or about the 25th day of August, 2025, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did use your official X Handle page, @Yele Sowore, to send out a message/ tweet as: ‘this criminal @ official pbat actually went to brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!’, which you know the said message to be false but posted it for the purpose of causing a breakdown of law and order in the country, especially among individuals who hold divergent views on the personality of the President and Commander- in- Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.”
Count Two read, “That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult male on or about the 26th day of August, 2025, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did use your official Facebook page, Omoyele Sowore, to send out a message/ post as: ‘this criminal @ official pbat actually went to brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!’, which you know the said message/post to be false but posted it for the purpose of causing a breakdown of law and order in the country, especially among individuals who hold divergent views on the personality of the President and Commander- in- Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.”
