DSS Sues Meta and X Over Sowore’s Social Media Posts
Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has initiated legal action against social media giants X (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) concerning activist Omoyele Sowore’s ongoing criminal case. This move escalates a situation already fraught with concerns about human rights and freedom of expression in the country.
Charges Against Sowore and Social Media Platforms
Filed on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, the suit names Sowore as the primary defendant, followed by X and Meta’s Facebook. The DSS has leveled five charges against Sowore, alleging that he defamed President Bola Tinubu by labeling him a “criminal” in social media posts. The DSS claims these statements appeared on Sowore’s X and Facebook accounts on August 25th and 26th, 2025, coinciding with President Tinubu’s official visit to Brazil. According to court documents, the specific post in question described President Tinubu as a “criminal” who “actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria.”
The DSS’s decision to involve Meta and X raises significant questions about the responsibility of social media platforms in policing user-generated content and their potential liability in cases of alleged defamation or incitement. This case will likely have implications for free speech protections online and the role of social media companies in the Nigerian legal system.
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Related Keywords: DSS, Meta, X, court, Sowore, antigovernment, Omoyele Sowore, social media, lawsuit, Nigeria
