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In effect to the suit filed by the Department of the State Service (DSS), the Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, has filed 2 cardinal rights actions earlier the Federal High Court, Abuja, against the Service.
Also joined successful the suit were Meta (owners of Facebook), and X Corp. (formerly Twitter).
In the suit, Sowore is challenging the unconstitutional censorship initiated by the DSS against the societal media accounts helium maintained with Meta and X.
According to him, done his lawyer, Tope Temokun, Esq., “this is astir the endurance of escaped code successful Nigeria. If authorities agencies tin dictate to planetary platforms who whitethorn talk and what whitethorn beryllium said, past nary Nigerian is safe, their voices volition beryllium silenced astatine the whim of those successful power.
“Censorship of governmental disapproval is alien to democracy. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, successful Section 39, guarantees each national the close to state of expression, without interference. No information agency, nary substance however powerful, tin suspend oregon delete those rights.
“Meta and X indispensable besides recognize this: erstwhile they bow to unlawful censorship demands, they go complicit successful the suppression of liberty. They cannot fell down neutrality portion authoritarianism is exported onto their platforms.
“Our prayers earlier the Court are simple:
That the SSS has nary powerfulness successful instrumentality to censor Nigerians connected societal media; That Meta and X indispensable not lend their platforms arsenic tools of repression; and
“That our client’s rights and by extension, the rights of each Nigerians, beryllium afloat protected against unlawful censorship.
“We telephone connected each lovers of freedom, journalists, quality rights defenders, and the Nigerian radical to basal firm. Today it is Sowore; time it whitethorn beryllium you. This conflict is not astir personalities. It is astir principle. And we shall defy each effort to crook Nigeria into a integer dictatorship.”
In the suit filed by the DSS, they told the tribunal that Sowore made mendacious societal media posts against President Bola Tinubu.
According to the DSS, the station could origin breakdown of instrumentality and bid successful the country.
The transgression charges filed astatine the Federal High Court successful Abuja, besides has X. Incorporation and Meta (Facebook) arsenic 2 different defendants.
In the 5-count transgression charges marked FHC/ABJ/CR)481/2025, Sowore was accused of utilizing his authoritative x grip leafage astatine Yele Sowore to tweet “This transgression @ authoritative PBAT Actually went to Brazil to authorities that determination is nary much corruption nether his authorities successful Nigeria. What audacity to prevarication shamelessly!.
The alleged offending station said to beryllium contrary to Section 24(2) (b) of the Cybercrimes Prohibition and Prevention Act 2024 was said to person been made connected August 25 wrong the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court.
In number two, Sowore was said to person connected August 26 utilized his authoritative leafage Facebook to nonstop the aforesaid mendacious connection retired for the intent of causing a breakdown of instrumentality and bid successful the state particularly among those who clasp divergent views connected the idiosyncratic of President Bola Tinubu.
The alleged offence is said to beryllium contrary to Section 24(2) (b) of the Cybercrimes Prohibition and Prevention Act 2024
In number three, the activistic was accused of utilizing the instrumentality of X, via his his authoritative relationship X relationship astatine Yele Sowore to people defamatory worldly connected his online level to wit “This transgression @ authoritative PBAT Actually went to Brazil to authorities that determination is nary much corruption nether his authorities successful Nigeria. What audacity to prevarication shamelessly!.against the property and estimation of President Bola Tinubu.
He was said to person committed an offence contrary to conception 375 of the Criminal Code.
The Department of the State Service DSS which filed the charges connected behalf of the national authorities besides accused Sowore of utilizing the instrumentality of his Facebook level to people defamatory worldly against the Nigeria’s President contrary to conception 375 of the Criminal Code.
In number five, the suspect was alleged to person intent to origin nationalist fearfulness and disturbances published mendacious accusation against the estimation of President Bola Tinubu contrary to conception 59 of the Criminal Code Act and punishable nether the aforesaid act.
The Director of the Public Prosecution of the Federation DPPF, Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar signed the charges.
Meanwhile, nary day has been fixed for arraignment of the defendants.
The DSS had 2 weeks agone wrote Sowore and different defendants to propulsion down the offending station oregon beryllium prepared to look the ineligible consequences.
The charges read, “That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult, antheral connected oregon astir the 25th time of August, 2025, wrong the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did usage your authoritative X Handle page, @Yele Sowore, to nonstop retired a message/ tweet arsenic : ‘THIS CRIMINAL ...
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