Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has filed two fundamental rights suits at the Federal High Court in Abuja against the State Security Service (SSS), Meta (owners of Facebook), and X Corp. (formerly Twitter).
The suits, filed by his lawyer, Tope Temokun, challenge what Sowore described as unconstitutional censorship of his social media accounts following his recent posts critical of President Bola Tinubu.
In the filings, Sowore argued that the action threatens free speech in Nigeria, warning that if security agencies are allowed to dictate content on global platforms, citizens’ voices could be silenced at the whim of those in power.
He urged the court to declare that the SSS has no legal authority to censor Nigerians on social media and that Meta and X must not serve as tools for repression. The suit also seeks protection of his rights under Section 39 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression.
Temokun said the case is not just about Sowore but about safeguarding democracy. “Today it is Sowore; tomorrow it may be any Nigerian. We must resist attempts to turn Nigeria into a digital dictatorship,” he stated.
