Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has filed a petition to Meta Platforms Inc., urging the company to disregard a request from Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) to shut down the Facebook account of activist Omoyele Sowore.
In the letter submitted on Monday, Effiong described the DSS move as unconstitutional, unlawful, and a direct assault on freedom of expression.
The petition followed reports that the DSS had written to Meta and X (formerly Twitter), asking them to suspend Sowore’s accounts over what it termed “unsavoury” posts allegedly targeting President Bola Tinubu.
Effiong argued that the laws cited by the DSS were irrelevant and that Sowore’s posts did not violate Meta’s Community Standards. He accused the agency of attempting to protect the President’s personal image under the guise of national security.
“We urge Meta to recognize this demand for what it is—an effort to massage the ego of the Nigerian President, based on legally baseless grounds aimed at undermining democracy and imposing authoritarianism,” Effiong stated.
He added that if President Tinubu felt defamed, he should pursue a civil case in court rather than use state security to intimidate critics.
The lawyer warned that granting the DSS request would set a dangerous precedent, emboldening further attempts to suppress dissent and clamp down on democratic freedoms in Nigeria.
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