Sowore takes legal action against DSS, Meta, X, claims rights violations
Omoyele Sowore has filed two fundamental rights actions at the Federal High Court in Abuja against the Department of State Services (DSS), along with Meta (Facebook) and X Corp., challenging what his legal team terms “unconstitutional censorship” of his accounts with those platforms.
In a statement on Tuesday signed by lawyer Tope Temokun, the lawsuits argue that if state agencies can dictate who may speak and what may be said on global social media platforms, then no Nigerian is safe from silencing at the whim of powerful actors.
READ ALSO: DSS drags Sowore, Meta, X to court over posts targeting Tinubu
The claim emphasises that political criticism is essential in a democracy, pointing to Section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which guarantees every citizen the right to freedom of expression without interference.
Sowore’s legal team also contend that when Meta and X comply with what they describe as unlawful demands from security agencies, they become complicit in suppressing liberty.
READ ALSO: Amnesty warns FG as Sowore vows defiance in X standoff
The suit seeks court declarations that the DSS lacks legal authority to censor social media content, that Meta and X should not be used as tools of repression, and that Sowore’s rights, and by extension those of all Nigerians, should be fully protected against unlawful censorship.
This lawsuit follows almost immediately after the DSS filed a five-count charge at the same court, including Meta and X among the defendants, alleging that Sowore posted false and provocative statements about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and refused to delete them after being directed to do so.
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