…the controversy stemmed from an August 26, 2025 post in which Sowore referred to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a “criminal,”.
ABUJA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times| A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by politician and online publisher, Omoyele Sowore, against the Department of State Services (DSS), its Director-General, and Meta Platforms Incorporated.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Mohammed Garba Umar resolved all issues raised in the case against Sowore, declined the reliefs sought, and ruled that the suit lacked merit.
Sowore had argued that Meta’s decision, allegedly based on a complaint by the DSS and its Director-General, to remove his Facebook post and deactivate his account was unlawful and violated his fundamental rights.
The controversy stemmed from an August 26, 2025 post in which Sowore referred to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a “criminal,” a statement that triggered the subsequent actions by the platform.
In his suit, Sowore contended that the takedown and account deactivation were carried out without granting him a fair hearing, thereby breaching his constitutional rights to freedom of expression and association.
However, Justice Umar held that the claim of violation of the right to fair hearing was misplaced, explaining that such rights apply strictly to proceedings before a court or tribunal, not decisions made by non-judicial bodies like Meta or security agencies.
“The law is that to enforce the right to fair hearing, the alleged violation must arise from proceedings before a legally established court or tribunal,” the judge stated, adding that the circumstances of the case did not meet that threshold.
On the issue of freedom of expression and association, the court ruled that these rights are not absolute and may be limited, particularly when expressions are deemed to harm the reputation of others.
The judge noted that the DSS acted within its rights by reporting the post through appropriate channels, while Meta’s actions were based on its internal policies and independent judgment.
“This court did not see how the freedom of expression or association of the applicant was infringed,” Justice Umar ruled.
Addressing the final issue, the court held that Sowore failed to provide sufficient evidence to support his claims or justify the declaratory reliefs sought.
Consequently, the court dismissed the suit in its entirety and awarded ₦1.5 million in costs against Sowore, ₦500,000 each to the DSS, its Director-General, and Meta.
The ruling reinforces the legal position that while freedom of expression is protected under the Constitution, it must be exercised responsibly and within the bounds of the law.
