The Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed Omoyele Sowore's suit against the Department of State Services (DSS), its Director-General, and Meta Platforms Incorporated on Thursday. Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters and a politician, had sued over the removal of a Facebook post and the deactivation of his account. He alleged the DSS directed Meta to act on his post from August 26, 2025, in which he called President Bola Tinubu a "criminal" and accused him of lying about corruption. Sowore claimed the actions violated his rights to fair hearing, freedom of expression, and association.
Justice Mohammed Umar ruled the suit lacked merit and dismissed it. He held that the right to fair hearing under Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution applies only to judicial proceedings, not actions by non-judicial bodies like Meta or the DSS. The judge also found that freedom of expression under Section 39 is not absolute and can be limited to protect the reputation of others. He stated the DSS and its DG acted within their rights by reporting the post through Meta's official channels. The court awarded N500,000 each to the DSS, its DG, and Meta Platforms, totaling N1.5 million in costs.
Sowore's claim that the DSS orchestrated the removal of his Facebook post runs into a legal wall: the Constitution does not treat social media takedowns as judicial proceedings. The court's emphasis on the limits of free speech when reputations are involved sets a precedent for how public figures are discussed online. This outcome suggests that calling a sitting president a "criminal" on Facebook may not be protected speech under current judicial interpretation. For Nigerian users, the ruling signals that online expression, especially about top officials, carries financial and legal risks.
