The Department of State Services (DSS) has slammed a five-count charge against former presidential candidate and activist, Omoyele Sowore, alongside global social media giants X Corp (formerly Twitter) and Meta Incorporation (owners of Facebook), over online posts critical of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The suit, dated September 16, 2025, was filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja by the Federal Ministry of Justice on behalf of the DSS.
The prosecution team is led by the Director of Public Prosecutions, M.B. Abubakar, supported by four DSS counsels, M.E. Ernest, U.B. Bulla, Dr. C.S. Eze, and E.G. Orubor.
At the heart of the charges is Sowore’s refusal to delete certain social media posts in which he referred to President Tinubu as a “criminal,” despite a formal request from the DSS to X demanding their removal.
Confirming the development in a Facebook post on Tuesday, Sowore wrote: “The State Security Service today filed a five-count charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja against X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and myself. They claim 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 the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the African Action Congress (AAC), insisted he would face trial but stood firm in his defiance.
“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 stated.
It would be recalled that several pleas of the DSS to delete the controversial post were rejected by Sowore saying that his stance was a matter of principle.
On Tuesday, Sowore also revealed that X had officially informed him of the DSS’s legal request.
He shared the message sent to him by the platform, which confirmed that the Nigerian secret police had complained about his post.
X, however, stated that it had not taken down the content, reiterating its commitment to free speech and user rights.
The platform’s message to Sowore read in part: “Hello @YeleSowore. In the interest of transparency, we are writing to inform you that X has received a request from the Department of State Services regarding your X account, @YeleSowore, that claims the following content violates the law(s) of Nigeria. We have not taken any action on the reported content at this time as a result of this request. As X strongly believes in defending and respecting the voice of our users, it is our policy to notify our users if we receive a legal request from an authorised entity (such as law enforcement or a government agency) to remove content from their account.”
The platform also encouraged Sowore to seek legal counsel and highlighted that details of such requests would be captured in its biannual Transparency Report.
With this development, Nigeria faces a fresh test of its democratic credentials as the case sets the stage for a legal battle involving free speech, digital rights, and the growing tension between the government and outspoken critics.
