Sowore Takes SSS, Meta,X to Court, Warns Against “Digital Dictatorship” in Nigeria

Sowore Takes SSS, Meta, X to Court, Warns Against “Digital Dictatorship” in Nigeria

 

 

 

Abuja – Prominent activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, has filed two fundamental rights suits at the Federal High Court, Abuja, against the State Security Service (SSS), Meta Platforms Inc. (owners of Facebook), and X Corp. (formerly Twitter), in a bold move challenging what he describes as “unconstitutional censorship” of his social media accounts.

 

The legal actions, filed last week, seek to prevent the SSS from exercising authority over Nigerians’ online expression and to compel global social media platforms to resist unlawful censorship demands.

 

According to Sowore’s legal team, led by human rights lawyer Tope Temokun, the suits are not merely about the activist’s posts but a broader fight for freedom of expression in Nigeria.

 

“Censorship of political criticism is alien to democracy. Section 39 of the Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to freedom of expression without interference,” Temokun stated. “No security agency, no matter how powerful, can suspend or delete those rights.”

 

The suit also calls on Meta and X to reject any government demand to suppress voices on their platforms, warning that compliance with such directives amounts to complicity in curtailing civil liberties.

 

Sowore’s legal team is asking the court to affirm that:

 

1. The SSS has no legal authority to censor Nigerians on social media;

 

 

2. Meta and X must not lend their platforms as instruments of repression; and

 

 

3. Sowore’s rights, and by extension the rights of all Nigerians, be fully protected against unlawful censorship.

 

 

 

Temokun appealed to Nigerians, journalists, and human rights defenders to support the case, arguing that the fight transcends individual grievances and concerns the preservation of democratic principles in the digital space.

 

“No government can log out the voice of the people. On that ground we stand,” he added.

 

The case is expected to set a significant precedent on the limits of state power in regulating online speech and the responsibilities of global tech platforms in upholding human rights in Nigeria.