Sowore Sues DSS, Meta, X Over Alleged Social Media Censorship- Ekohotblog

Omoyele Sowore has sued the DSS, Meta, and X over alleged censorship.
His lawyer argues that censorship of political speech violates Section 39 of the Constitution.
The suit calls for protecting Nigerians’ free speech and resisting digital repression.

Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has filed a lawsuit against the Department of State Services (DSS), Meta Platforms (owners of Facebook), and X Corp. (formerly Twitter), at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

EDITOR’S PICKS

EKO HOT BLOG reports that Sowore, through his lawyer, Tope Temokun, is challenging what he described as unconstitutional censorship of his social media accounts. He alleged that the DSS pressured the platforms to take down his posts, including one in which he called President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a “criminal.”

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Temokun explained that the suit was aimed at protecting the survival of free speech in Nigeria. According to him, state agencies have no authority to dictate to global platforms what citizens may post or say.

“The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in Section 39, 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. Meta and X must also understand this: when they bow to unlawful censorship demands, they become complicit in the suppression of liberty.”

The lawyer stressed that censorship of political criticism undermines democracy and called on the court to declare that the DSS has no legal power to control Nigerians’ activities on social media. He further argued that the platforms must not serve as tools of repression, urging them to protect the rights of users against undue interference.

The suit also carried a broader appeal to the public. “We call on all lovers of freedom, journalists, human rights defenders, and the Nigerian people to stand firm. Today it is Sowore; tomorrow it may be you. This struggle is not about personalities but about principle. We shall resist every attempt to turn Nigeria into a digital dictatorship,” the statement read.