The Department of State Services, DSS, has filed a five-count criminal charge against human rights activist and former Presidential Candidate, Omoyele Sowore, alongside Meta (owners of Facebook) and X Corp (formerly Twitter), over alleged cybercrime and defamation against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The charges, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/481/2025, were filed on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
According to the DSS, Sowore allegedly used his verified social media platforms to post what they described as false and defamatory statements against the President, with the intent to cause a breakdown of law and order in Nigeria.
In count one, Sowore was accused of using his official X handle, @YeleSowore, on August 25 to post:
“This criminal @officialPBAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”
The DSS claimed the post contravened Section 24(2)(b) of the Cybercrimes Prohibition and Prevention Act, 2024, having been made within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court.
In count two, Sowore was alleged to have published the same post on his official Facebook page on August 26, with the intent of causing disorder, particularly among Nigerians with divergent views about the President.
In count three, the activist was accused of using the instrumentality of X to publish defamatory content against the “personality and reputation” of President Tinubu, in violation of Section 375 of the Criminal Code.
The DSS further alleged that Sowore committed a similar offence through his Facebook platform, also contrary to Section 375 of the Criminal Code.
The charges were signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar. No date has yet been fixed for the arraignment of the defendants.
The DSS had, two weeks ago, written to Sowore and the co-defendants demanding that the alleged offending posts be deleted or they should prepare to face legal consequences.
Sowore Responds
Reacting to the charges on Tuesday, Sowore confirmed the development via his Facebook page. He wrote:
“The State Security Service, alias @OfficialDSSNG, today filed a 5-count charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja against ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and myself. They claimed that because I called Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu a criminal, I have somehow committed a set of ‘novel’ offences they invented and spread across five counts.”
“It’s hard to believe there’s anyone sensible left in these offices that should be making Nigeria work. Regardless, I will be present whenever this case is assigned for trial. #RevolutionNow.”
Sowore’s Lawyer Files Counter-Suits
Meanwhile, Sowore’s lawyer, Barrister Tope Temokun (Tope Temokun Chambers), has filed two fundamental rights enforcement suits at the Federal High Court, Abuja, against the DSS, Meta, and X Corp.
The suits, filed on Tuesday, are aimed at stopping Facebook and X from deleting Sowore’s posts describing Tinubu as a “criminal.”
In a statement issued on behalf of his client, Temokun said:
“On behalf of our client, Omoyele Sowore, we have filed two fundamental rights actions at the Federal High Court, Abuja, against the State Security Service (SSS), Meta (owners of Facebook), and X Corp. (formerly Twitter).”
“These suits were filed to challenge the unconstitutional censorship initiated by the DSS/SSS against Sowore’s accounts maintained with Meta and X.”
He stressed that the case is not just about Sowore but about safeguarding the fundamental right to 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 whim of those in power.”
He added:
“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.”
Temokun further warned Meta and X against complicity in repression:
“Meta and X must also understand this: when they bow to unlawful censorship demands, they become complicit in the suppression of liberty. They cannot hide behind neutrality while authoritarianism is exported onto their platforms.”
Temokun concluded with a call to action:
“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.”