Court Tosses Sowore’s Case Against DSS And Meta Over Facebook Post

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. According to court records, Justice Mohammed Umar delivered the judgment on Thursday, ruling against Sowore and declining to grant any of the reliefs sought, citing lack of merit in the case.

Sowore had filed the suit under case number FHC/ABJ/CS/1887/2025, claiming that Meta, acting on instructions from the DSS, removed a Facebook post he published and deactivated his account. The post, published on August 26, 2025, referred to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” and alleged dishonesty regarding corruption in Nigeria. Sowore argued that the actions by Meta and the DSS violated his constitutional rights to fair hearing, freedom of expression, and freedom of association.

Justice Umar, however, held that the claim of a breach of the right to fair hearing was misplaced, noting that such a right applies only to proceedings before a court or tribunal established by law, and not to actions taken by non-judicial bodies. The judge stated, “The law is that, to seek to enforce the fundamental right to fair hearing… the alleged violation must be in respect of proceedings before a court or tribunal established by law.”

Regarding the alleged violations of freedom of expression and association, the court found that the DSS complaint and Meta’s subsequent actions did not infringe on Sowore’s rights. The judge highlighted that constitutional rights are not absolute and may be limited to protect the rights and reputations of others. Justice Umar further noted that Meta acted under its own policies and independent judgment following the DSS complaint.

The court concluded that Sowore failed to establish that his constitutional rights had been violated or were under threat. As a result, the suit was dismissed, and the court awarded N1.5 million in legal costs against Sowore, with N500,000 each payable to the DSS, its Director-General, and Meta Platforms Incorporated.