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 Incorporation, over posts critical of President Bola Tinubu.
The case, dated 16 September 2025, was lodged at the Federal High Court in Abuja. It followed Sowore’s refusal to delete posts in which he referred to President Tinubu as a criminal.
The charges were filed on behalf of the DSS and the Federal Government by the Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, M.B. Abubakar, and four other DSS counsels – M.E. Ernest, U.B. Bulla, Dr. C.S. Eze, and E.G. Orubor.
Confirming the development in a Facebook post, Sowore 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.”
Sowore, who contested under the African Action Congress in the 2023 presidential election, vowed not to delete the controversial post despite requests from the DSS to X demanding its removal.
He reiterated his stance in another post: “This morning, X (formerly Twitter) officially contacted me about the despicable threat letter they received from the lawless DSS over my Tweet on Tinubu. One option I will NOT be taking is deleting that Tweet. Thank you, @X.”
Sowore also shared the message sent to him by X, confirming receipt of a legal request from the DSS. In the notice, X stated that while the DSS claimed his post violated Nigerian law, the platform had not acted on the request.
The company assured Sowore that it informs users whenever it receives government takedown demands, regardless of whether action is taken. X also advised Sowore to seek legal counsel or explore other options to protect his interests.
The case, once assigned, is expected to test the boundaries of free speech, digital rights, and state power in Nigeria’s democratic space.