Sowore takes DSS to court over social media clampdown
Omoyele Sowore, has filed two fundamental rights suits against the Department of State Services (DSS), accusing them of unconstitutional censorship of his social media accounts.
The suits, lodged at the federal high court in Abuja, seek to restrain the DSS from interfering with his online posts and to stop Meta and X from deleting content critical of President Tinubu.
Sowore’s lawyer, Tope Temokun, confirmed the filings, describing them as a defence of free speech and constitutional rights.
The row began after Sowore, a former presidential candidate, called Tinubu a “criminal” on August 25 while reacting to the president’s comments on corruption during his trip to Brazil.
The DSS responded by writing to X, demanding the urgent deactivation of Sowore’s verified account.
Days later, on September 7, in a letter signed by Uwem Davies on behalf of Adeola Ajayi, the DSS Director-General, the agency ordered Sowore to retract his statement and issue public apologies within one week.
The demands were sweeping asked him to retract the post with the same prominence on X, publish apologies in at least two national newspapers and two television stations, and send a formal representation to DSS headquarters in Abuja.
The agency has since escalated matters, filing a criminal case marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025 before the federal high court.
However, Sowore, instead of backing down, has countered with his own legal challenge.
“This is not just about one man’s post. 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,” Temokun said in a statement.
Sowore’s team argued that the DSS has no legal power to censor citizens, citing Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression.
The suits ask the court for restraining orders against the DSS, as well as against Meta and X, to prevent them from deleting Sowore’s posts or deactivating his accounts.
“The censorship of political criticism is alien to democracy. Meta and X must also understand that when they bow to unlawful demands, they become complicit in the suppression of liberty,” the statement read.
The stage is now set for a legal clash as Sowore insists he is defending constitutional freedoms while the DSS maintains its authority, and the global tech giants stand caught between Nigeria’s politics and its constitution.
