Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore says he has filed a lawsuit against Nigeria’s State Security Services (SSS) and X’s parent company, challenging demands to remove a social media post labeling President Bola Tinubu a "criminal," as the government counters with cybercrime and defamation charges.

On September 9, 2025, Sowore, publisher of SaharaReporters, initiated legal action through his lawyer, Tope Temokun, seeking court declarations that the SSS’s request to delete his August 26 post violates his freedom of expression under Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

He also argued that branding his post "illegal" without a hearing breaches his right to fair hearing and that demands to deactivate his accounts infringe on his freedom of association. Sowore seeks injunctions to block SSS censorship and compel the withdrawal of their requests to Meta and X.

The SSS had sent letters to Facebook, X, and Sowore, demanding the post’s removal and account deactivation, threatening consequences for non-compliance. Sowore publicly refused, calling the SSS’s actions harassment and defending his right to critique leaders. Neither Facebook nor X has commented or complied.

On Tuesday, September 16, the Federal Government, via the Federal Ministry of Justice, filed five charges against Sowore, Facebook, and X at the Federal High Court in Abuja, citing posts from August 25 and 26 accusing Tinubu of lying about anti-corruption efforts during a Brazil visit. The charges include two counts under the Cybercrimes Act for spreading false information likely to cause public disorder and three under the Criminal Code Act for defamation and inciting fear. The case awaits a judge and hearing date.

Sowore’s history includes a 2019 arrest for #RevolutionNow protests, followed by treason charges and prolonged detention despite bail, drawing criticism from Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists. The government’s 2021 X ban, lifted in 2022, reflects a pattern of targeting platforms over critical content.