The Department of State Services (DSS) has filed a five-count charge against former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, along with social media giants X(Formerly Twitter) and Meta, over posts critical of President Bola Tinubu.
The suit, dated September 16, 2025, was lodged at the Federal High Court in Abuja. It was filed on behalf of the DSS and the Federal Government by M.B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, supported by four other DSS lawyers.
In a Facebook post confirming the case, Sowore said the charges stemmed from his refusal to delete comments calling President Tinubu a criminal. He described the charges as “novel offences” invented by the authorities but pledged to appear in court once the case is assigned for trial.
The DSS had earlier written to X, demanding that Sowore’s post be taken down. The platform responded by notifying Sowore of the legal request but said it had not removed the content. In its message, X explained it informs users whenever it receives such requests from governments, even if no action is taken.
Meta, which owns Facebook, was also named in the suit, though details of its role have not yet been disclosed.
The case is expected to reignite debate over free speech, government regulation of social media, and the use of legal tools against critics of the administration.
