ABUJA: The Department of State Services (DSS) has filed a five-count charge against former presidential candidate and activist, Omoyele Sowore, alongside social media giants X Corp and Meta Inc. over posts deemed critical of President Bola Tinubu.
The suit, dated September 16, 2025, was lodged at the Federal High Court in Abuja after Sowore allegedly refused to delete certain posts about the President, despite repeated demands from the DSS.
The charges were filed on behalf of the Federal Government by M.B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions at the Ministry of Justice, alongside four DSS lawyers: M.E. Ernest, U.B. Bulla, Dr. C.S. Eze, and E.G. Orubor.
Confirming the development, Sowore wrote on Facebook: State Security Service, alias @OfficialDSSNG, today filed a five-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 somehow committed a set of ‘novel’ offences they invented and spread across five counts. Regardless, I will be present whenever this case is assigned for trial. #RevolutionNow.
Earlier, online reported that Sowore vowed not to delete the controversial post despite a legal request from the DSS to X demanding its removal.
Reaffirming his stance, the human rights activist revealed that X Corp had officially contacted him about the DSS complaint:
One option I will NOT be taking is deleting that, Tweet. Thank you, @X.
X, in a notice sent to Sowore, confirmed it had received a request from the DSS alleging his post violated Nigerian law. However, the platform stated it had not taken any action on the content.
The company explained: As X strongly believes in defending and respecting the voice of our users, we notify them whenever we receive legal requests from governments or law enforcement.
While we cannot provide legal advice, we encourage users to seek counsel, challenge requests in court, or take any step they deem necessary.
The notice further pointed Sowore to X’s Transparency Report, which details government requests received worldwide.
The case is expected to ignite a major debate around free speech, government accountability, and the limits of digital rights in Nigeria as Sowore, X, and Meta prepare to defend themselves in court.
