Sowore Writes Facebook, Urges Social Media Platform to Reject DSS’ Request for Ban, Deactivation of His Account
Sowore Writes Facebook, Urges Social Media Platform to Reject DSS’ Request for Ban, Deactivation of His Account
*Says move attempt to silent dissenting voices
*insists post didn’t violate community standards
Alex Enumah in Abuja
Human rights activist and pro-democracy crusader, Omoyele Sowore, has called on the owners of Facebook to reject the petition sent to them by Nigeria’s Department of State’s Services for the ban/deactivation of his Facebook accounts.
Sowore, who is the publisher of SaharaReporters and a two-time presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), informed Meta Platforms Inc.; owners of Facebook, that the DSS’ demand was not only unlawful but an attempt to silent dissenting voices and critiques of Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu.
His appeal to Facebook was contained in a letter written to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Meta Platforms Inc., dated September 8, 2025.
The letter, written on his behalf by his lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, stated that “the demand by the SSS, if granted, will constitute a violation of our client’s right to freedom of expression, guaranteed under domestic laws and international human rights instruments and treaties to which Nigeria is a signatory.
Recall that the security agency had on September 7, 2025, wrote Facebook, demanding the immediate and urgent ban/deactivation of the Facebook account owned by Sowore ‘‘through his Facebook page, Omoyele Sowore and his personalized link on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/OSowore or any other account maintained by him.’’
The DSS predicated its demand on a recent post by Sowore wherein the activist who is standing various trials in Federal High Court, Abuja was alleged to have posted “misleading information and willful intention to further an ideology capable of serious harm; incitement to violence; cybercrime; hate speech to
discredit/disparage the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and cause serious threat to national security of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria’’.
But, his lawyer told Facebook that the DSS’ allegations was “unfounded and calculated to silence our Client’s criticism of the government”.
His lawyer further stated that the agency’s claim that Sowore’s post had attracted widespread condemnation contradicts the various likes and re-shares the said post had garnered from thousands of Nigerians who share and believe in the sentiment expressed by our Client.
He said, “No tension whatsoever has been created by our Client’s post, nor is the Nigerian national security being threatened by the said post.
“There is nothing dangerous about our Client’s post, nor have any false privacy violations been made by our Client contrary to the confusing assertions made by the SSS”.
Besides, the lawyer pointed out that Meta’s policies recognize that public figures like our Client have a right to express opinions even if they are controversial or unpopular, adding that Meta has policies designed to address harmful statements through its community standards, and it is not the practice of Meta Platforms Inc. to stifle freedom of expression.
“There is nothing in our Client’s post that is dehumanizing, nor does the post incite violence, harassment, intimidation or related concepts.
“Facebook Community Standards define threats of violence as: Statements or visuals representing an intention,aspiration, or call for violence against a target, and threats can be expressed in various types of statements, such as statements of intent, calls for action, advocacy, expressions of hope, aspirational statements and conditional statements”, he said.
“In view of the above-quoted parts of Meta’s community standards, it is clear that nothing in our Client’s post incites violence nor does the post contain any hateful content based on protected characteristics as defined by Meta’s community standards”, the lawyer stated.
Meanwhile, Sowore claimed that the DSS failed to provide sufficient particulars of how his post falls within the limited scope of Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc., Amendment) Act, 2024, adding that “Section 19 of the Cybercrimes Act cited by the DSS is equally inapplicable to the circumstances of this case as it relates to ‘‘financial institutions giving posting, and authorized access to a single employee.
“Our Client is not a financial institution. Section 22 of the Cybercrimes Act cited by the SSS is also not applicable to this case, as it relates to identity theft and impersonation”.
Effiong while describing Sowore as a patriotic citizen of Nigeria, who made the said post, expressing his opinion about the President, who is a public figure, stressed that Meta Community Standards allow for critical commentaries about public figures.
“It is imperative to state that the President of Nigeria, Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom the SSS is unlawfully, wrongfully and mischievously holding brief for, has not initiated any legal action against our client. If he feels that he has a reputation capable of being defamed, Mr. Tinubu ought to seek legal redress in court and put his character to the test. It is the height of impunity for an agency established by law to ensure the internal security of Nigeria to sycophantically deploy its instrumentality for the personal aggrandizement of a politician and a public office holder who is paid with public funds.
“We enjoin Meta to see the sinister demand by the SSS for what it truly is: an egregious effort to massage the ego of the Nigerian President; an effort predicated on grounds that are legally unfounded in an attempt to undermine Nigeria’s democratic journey and foist tyranny on the country.
“In view of the foregoing, we passionately urge Meta Platforms Inc. to reject the demand made by the SSS for the ban/deactivation of our Client’s Facebook account(s), as it is an attempt by the SSS to censor our Client’s voice. We urge Meta to uphold the right to freedom of expression, which is part of the values Meta should be associated with. Acquiescing to the unlawful and draconian demands of the SSS will set a dangerous precedent and also embolden the government to further clamp down on dissenting voices”, the letter concluded.
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