Sowore loses case against DSS, Meta, to pay N1.5m damages

A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a fundamental rights suit filed by Omoyele Sowore, politician and online publisher of Sahara Reporters against the Department of State Services (DSS), its Director General, and Meta Platforms Incorporated (formerly Facebook).

In a judgment delivered on Thursday, Justice Mohammed Garba Umar ruled against Sowore on all three issues raised in the suit, declining to grant any of the reliefs sought and described the case as lacking merit.

Sowore had challenged the removal of a Facebook post in which he referred to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” and alleged that the DSS, acting through Meta, had deactivated his account without due process. The post, published on 26 August 2025, included claims that Tinubu had lied about corruption in Nigeria.

The applicant argued that the removal of his post and account suspension violated his constitutional rights to fair hearing, freedom of expression, and association.

Justice Umar held that claims of a breach of the right to fair hearing were misplaced, noting that such rights under Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) apply only to judicial or quasi-judicial proceedings, not actions by non-judicial bodies such as Meta or the DSS.

On the question of freedom of expression, the court ruled that Sowore’s post, which disparaged the President, did not fall within the protections of Sections 39 and 40 of the Constitution. The judge emphasized that constitutional rights are not absolute and may be restricted to protect the reputation and rights of others.

“The law frowns at expressions intended to disparage individuals under the guise of freedom of expression,” the judgment stated. Justice Umar added that the DSS’ complaint to Meta was a lawful use of the platform’s reporting mechanisms and did not constitute a rights violation.

Regarding the reliefs sought, the court found Sowore had failed to demonstrate any threatened or actual violation of his constitutional rights. Consequently, the suit was dismissed in its entirety.

Following applications for legal costs by the respondents, Justice Umar awarded a total of N1.5 million against Sowore, allocating N500,000 to each respondent.