The Federal Government of Nigeria has taken legal action against activist Omoyele Sowore, social media platform X Corporation, and Meta Incorporation over posts critical of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to court filings dated September 16, 2025, the Department of State Services (DSS) submitted a five-count charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja after Sowore allegedly declined to delete controversial posts about the President.
The case is spearheaded by M.B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, with support from DSS counsel including M.E. Ernest, U.B. Bulla, Dr. C.S. Eze, and E.G. Orubor.
Sowore, who previously contested the presidency under the African Action Congress (AAC), confirmed the charges in a Facebook statement.
“The State Security Service 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 offences spread across five counts,” he wrote.
Despite threats, Sowore has vowed to defend himself in court:
“I will be present whenever this case is assigned for trial. #RevolutionNow.”
The DSS had earlier asked X Corporation to delete Sowore’s tweet, but the activist refused. In his response, he disclosed that X notified him of the DSS’ legal request.
“One option I will NOT be taking is deleting that Tweet,” Sowore insisted.
X confirmed the development, stating that although they received a takedown request, they had not acted on the post. The platform emphasized its policy of transparency whenever legal or governmental requests are lodged.
This lawsuit has sparked debates about digital freedom, government oversight, and the tension between free speech and national security in Nigeria.
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