The Department of State Service (DSS) has dragged social media platforms X and Meta to court over the ongoing criminal charges against Omoleye Sowore. The development is the latest stunt in a case that boils over human rights and free speech.
In a court document filed on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, the DSS named Sowore, X and Meta’s Facebook as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants respectively. In the suit, per Leadership news, the DCC entered a five-count charge against Sowore surrounding claims that he labelled President Bola Tinubu as ‘criminal’ in a post on social media.
According to the document, the statements were made on Sowore’s X handle and Facebook page on August 25 and 26, 2025, during the President’s official visit to Brazil.
Explicitly, the DSS stated that he posted on his social media with the description, “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 DSS noted that, with the statement, Sowore committed an offence contrary to Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) and Amendment Act, 2024.
The charge sheet, filed by M.B. Abubakar, Esq., Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, listed exhibits in support of its case. This includes a printout of Sowore’s tweet on X and a printout of his Facebook post. Others are letters addressed to X and Facebook demanding the shutdown of his account and Sowore’s subsequent posts responding to those letters.
While the matter is yet to be assigned to any judge or a date fixed for his arraignment, the case is another twist in the matter between freedom of speech and no freedom after speech.
For Sowore, it is the latest battle in an ongoing escalation between the ex-presidential candidate, the Presidency and Nigeria’s domestic intelligence agency.
Also Read: Sowore’s lawyer urges Meta to reject DSS ban request.
Omoleye Sowore’s claims
Recall that the DSS had earlier asked Meta to shut down Omoyele Sowore’s Facebook page, days after he made the post. The DSS, in that statement, described the tweet as “misleading information” and “hate speech” and sought to get it removed from social media platforms.
The DSS had also directed him to delete the posts, make a public apology across notable media platforms and issue a statement of retraction on X and Facebook. In response, Sowore noted that his statements were justified and protected under the Human Rights and Freedom of Expression. The DSS then threatened to pursue the matter within the court of law.
In addition, the ex-presidential candidate accused the DSS of being “lawless” and “incompetent.” He went further to question the priorities of the agency and alluded to the recent killing of over 130 citizens, suggesting it reflected the service’s inability to secure lives and property.
Also, the DSS had directed X and Facebook to ban his account as a punishment for the posts. In its defence, Sowore’s lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, addressed a letter to Meta asking the company to decline what he referred to as an illegal request. Effiong argued that the DSS was attempting to censor Sowore contrary to his constitutional freedom of expression.
Effiong said the cited laws by the DSS had nothing to do with the case and did not relate to Sowore’s post. He further said the post under contention did not violate Meta’s Community Standards and thus ought to remain online.
He added that President Tinubu himself did not bring any suit against his client, stating: “If he feels that he has a reputation capable of being defamed, Mr. Tinubu ought to seek legal redress in court and put his character to the test.”
