The DSS has filed a five-count charge against Omoyele Sowore, X, and Meta over social media posts critical of President Bola Tinubu.The Department of State Services (DSS) has filed a five-count charge against former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, alongside X Corp (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms Inc., over social media posts critical of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The suit, dated September 16, 2025, was lodged at the Federal High Court in Abuja after Sowore allegedly refused to delete certain posts about the President.
Legal Representation and Charges
The charges were 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 counsel: M.E. Ernest, U.B. Bulla, Dr. C.S. Eze, and E.G. Orubor.
Sowore confirmed the development in a Facebook post, stating that the DSS accused him of committing “novel offences” for calling Tinubu a criminal.
Sowore Reacts: “I Won’t Delete the Tweet”
Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) candidate in the 2023 elections, Sowore, has insisted that he will not delete the controversial post despite pressure from the DSS.
He wrote:
“The State Security Service 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 offences they invented. Regardless, I will be present whenever this case is assigned for trial.”
DSS Legal Request to X
Earlier, X Corp notified Sowore that it had received a legal request from the DSS concerning his account @YeleSowore. The platform confirmed that Nigerian authorities claimed the content violated national laws but emphasized that no action was taken on the reported content.
The message from X 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 account. We have not taken any action on the reported content at this time. As X strongly believes in defending the voice of our users, it is our policy to notify users of such requests.”
X further advised Sowore to seek legal counsel, challenge the request in court, or take any action he deemed necessary to protect his interests.
Meta Platforms Also Named in Sui
Alongside X Corp, Meta (owners of Facebook and Instagram) was also listed as a defendant in the case. While the DSS has not detailed Meta’s specific involvement, Sowore claimed the agency extended the charges to include the tech giant over his social media activity.
