The Department of State Services (DSS) has petitioned Meta to deactivate Omoyele Sowore’s verified Facebook account over posts critical of President Bola Tinubu, a move Sowore and his lawyer condemned as unconstitutional and politically motivated.
ABUJA – The Department of State Services (DSS) has petitioned Meta Platforms Inc., owner of Facebook, seeking the deactivation of the verified account of SaharaReporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, over posts critical of President Bola Tinubu.
In a letter dated September 7, 2025, and signed by Uwem Davies for the Director-General, the DSS accused Sowore of spreading “misleading information” and “inciting violence” through his Facebook page. It cited a post on August 26 in which Sowore wrote: “This criminal @officialABAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!” The DSS described the statement as defamatory and a threat to national security.
The agency insisted that Sowore’s posts violate the Criminal Code Act, the Cybercrimes Act 2025, and the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, warning Meta to delete the content within 24 hours or face “far-reaching, sweeping measures.”
Reacting, Sowore described the DSS as “lawless, idle and incompetent,” accusing it of acting as “Tinubu’s social media police.” His lawyer, Tope Temokun, also urged X (formerly Twitter) to ignore a similar DSS petition, arguing it was “unlawful, unconstitutional, and without legal foundation,” citing Section 39(1) of the Nigerian Constitution and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The row has intensified debate over free speech and government control of social media in Nigeria.