Sowore’s Lawyers Petition Meta, Accuse DSS of Acting for Tinubu in Bid to Deactivate Facebook Account
Story: written by Uzuh Rita september 9,2025
Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong has petitioned Meta Platforms Inc., urging the tech giant to reject a request by Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) to deactivate the Facebook account of activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore.
In a letter sent to Meta on Monday, Effiong described the DSS demand as unlawful, unconstitutional, and a direct threat to free speech and democratic rights in Nigeria.
The petition follows reports that the DSS wrote to both Meta and X (formerly Twitter) demanding the suspension of Sowore’s accounts over alleged “unsavoury posts” against President Bola Tinubu.
Effiong, however, argued that the legal provisions cited by the DSS were irrelevant and that Sowore’s posts did not violate Meta’s Community Standards.
“We enjoin Meta to see the sinister demand by the DSS for what it truly is: an egregious attempt to massage the ego of the Nigerian President, legally unfounded and designed to undermine Nigeria’s democracy while foisting tyranny on the country,” Effiong wrote.
He accused the DSS of acting as though it were holding brief for Tinubu, stressing that the President himself had not filed any legal action against Sowore. According to him, if Tinubu felt defamed, the proper channel would be to seek redress in court rather than use security agencies to intimidate critics.
Effiong urged Meta to resist what he called a dangerous precedent, warning that granting the DSS request would embolden further government crackdowns on free expression and dissenting voices in Nigeria.
This petition adds to the growing debate on social media censorship, human rights, and state power in Nigeria as tensions rise between activists and the government.
