Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong has formally petitioned Meta Platforms Inc., urging the company to reject a request from Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) to deactivate the Facebook account of prominent activist and journalist Omoyele Sowore.
The petition, dated Monday, describes the DSS’s demand as unlawful and unconstitutional, characterising it as a significant threat to the fundamental right to freedom of expression.
The move comes after the DSS, Nigeria’s domestic intelligence agency, sent letters to social media companies Meta and X, seeking the removal of Sowore’s accounts.
The agency accused the activist of posting what it termed ‘unsavoury’ content about the Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu, which it claimed maligned his character.
In his detailed letter, Effiong argued that the laws cited by the DSS in its petition are irrelevant to the case and that Sowore’s posts did not violate any of Meta’s own Community Standards.
He urged the tech giant to see the request for what he believes it truly is: a blatant attempt to protect the president’s ego and suppress legitimate dissent. Effiong emphasised that President Tinubu has not initiated any personal legal action against Sowore, and if he feels aggrieved, the appropriate course of action would be to seek redress through the courts rather than employing state security agencies to intimidate critics.
The lawyer further warned that should Meta comply with the DSS’s request, it would set a dangerous precedent, emboldening the Nigerian government to further clamp down on free speech and dissenting voices. He framed the situation as a critical test for Meta’s commitment to upholding democratic values and human rights in Nigeria, urging the company to resist what he called an egregious effort to undermine the country’s fragile democracy.
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cc: Daily Post NG
