DSS pressures Meta to silence Omoyele Sowore on Facebook

The Department of State Services (DSS) has officially requested that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, immediately shut down the Facebook account of activist and journalist Omoyele Sowore.

The DSS claims that a post Sowore made on August 26, 2025, is a threat to national security, defamatory, and breaks several Nigerian laws.

​According to a letter dated September 7, 2025, signed by Uwem Davies, Sowore’s post caused “online and offline tension” by “disparaging and ridiculing” the President.

In the post, which is still available on the platform, Sowore accuses President Tinubu of “lying shamelessly” about the end of corruption under his administration.

​The DSS’s notice to Meta also alleges that the post contains misinformation and hate speech. It states the content is an attempt to “discredit/disparage the President” and create “a serious threat to national security.”

To support these claims, the DSS cites several Nigerian laws it believes Sowore’s post violates, including:
​Section 51 of the Criminal Code Act, which prohibits publishing false information.

​Sections 19, 22, and 24 of the Cyber Crimes Act 2025, which prohibit spreading fake news, posting offensive content, and making statements meant to incite ethnic or religious hatred.

​Section 2(3) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, as the government alleges the post amounts to domestic terrorism.

​The letter gives Meta a clear deadline, stating that if the company fails to comply within 24 hours, the government will be forced to “take far-reaching, sweeping and across-the-board measures.”

This suggests that the government is prepared to take significant action against Meta if its demand isn’t met.

​The notice was sent to Meta’s legal and press departments. As of now, Meta has not yet responded to the Nigerian government’s request.