Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has alleged that the Department of State Services (DSS) is attempting to silence him by writing to Meta Platforms (Facebook’s parent company), demanding the removal and deactivation of his Facebook account.
Sowore, in a Facebook post on 7th September 2025, accused the DSS of being “idle and incompetent” in securing the country, pointing out that over 130 Nigerians were killed just a day earlier while the agency focused on petitioning Facebook over his criticism of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The DSS letter, addressed to Meta’s headquarters in California, accused Sowore of spreading “misleading information and hate speech” capable of inciting violence and threatening national security. The security agency cited a post made by Sowore on 26th August 2025, where he criticized President Tinubu’s remarks in Brazil that there was “no more corruption” in Nigeria.
According to the DSS, the publication was defamatory, threatened Nigeria’s image internationally, and violated several sections of the Criminal Code Act, Cybercrimes Act, and Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act. The letter, signed by Uwem Davies on behalf of the DSS Director General, demanded Facebook take immediate action to ban Sowore’s account, warning that failure to comply within 24 hours could attract “far-reaching and sweeping measures” from the government.
Sowore, however, described the move as a desperate attempt to gag dissenting voices and asked Nigerians: “How long do you want to continue being held hostage by a tiny, wicked, inhumane band of rogues?”
The development has sparked fresh debate over free speech, digital rights, and government accountability in Nigeria, with many observers awaiting Meta’s official response to the DSS request.
Reported by: Stone Reporters News
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