THE Department of State Services (DSS) has escalated its face-off with activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore, filing a five-count charge against him, along with social media platforms X Corp (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms Inc. (owners of Facebook), over what it described as “defamatory and destabilizing” posts targeting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
News Point Nigeria reports that the case was filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja, by M.B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, alongside four legal representatives of the DSS, M.E. Ernest, U.B. Bulla, Dr. C.S. Eze, and E.G. Orubor.
This development follows weeks of back-and-forth between the DSS and the former presidential candidate.
The agency had earlier written to X Corp requesting the suspension of Sowore’s handle and removal of several posts which accused President Tinubu of criminality and questioned his legitimacy.
When Sowore refused to comply, the DSS issued a formal ultimatum, describing the posts as “malicious, defamatory, and capable of undermining national security.”
Reacting to the lawsuit, Sowore took to his X handle to confirm the charges and to announce his readiness to appear in court.
“The State Security Service, alias @OfficialDSSNG, today 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 @officialABAT a criminal, I have somehow committed a set of ‘novel’ offences they invented and spread across five counts,” he posted.
“It’s hard to believe there’s anyone sensible left in these offices that should be making Nigeria work. Regardless, I will be present whenever this case is assigned for trial. #RevolutionNow.”
Sowore’s post immediately trended across multiple platforms, sparking a heated debate about free speech, presidential criticism, and government accountability.
The charges reportedly accuse Sowore and the platforms of publishing “defamatory materials,” “spreading falsehoods capable of inciting public disorder,” and “wilfully discrediting the office of the President.”
A source within the DSS told this News Point Nigeria that the agency acted “in the interest of national stability,” insisting that unverified claims about the President risk “eroding public trust in institutions and encouraging civil unrest.”
The Federal Government is also expected to seek a court order compelling Meta and X to take down the posts in question and to implement stricter compliance with Nigeria’s cyber laws going forward.