Tinubu post: Court fines Sowore N1.5m, dismisses suit against DSS, Meta

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday dismissed a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by the publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, against the Department of State Services (DSS) and Meta Platforms Incorporated.

Justice Mohammed Umar ruled that the case lacked merit and declined all the reliefs sought by the applicant.

The judge also awarded costs against Sowore, ordering him to pay N500,000 each to the DSS, its Director-General, and Meta Platforms, totalling N1.5 million.

Sowore had alleged that Meta, acting on the directive of the DSS, removed his Facebook post about President Bola Tinubu and deactivated his account.

He subsequently sued the DSS, its DG, Meta Platforms Incorporated, Meta Platforms Limited, and Facebook Nigeria Operations Limited.

The suit stemmed from a post published by Sowore on August 26, 2025, in which he referred to Tinubu as a “criminal.”

Through his lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, Sowore argued that the removal of his post violated his rights to fair hearing, freedom of expression, and association.

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However, Justice Umar held that the claim of violation of fair hearing was misplaced since the respondents were not judicial bodies as required under the Constitution.

The judge also ruled that the DSS complaint and Meta’s action did not amount to a violation of Sowore’s freedom of expression or association.

Justice Umar noted that freedom of expression is not absolute and can be limited to protect the rights and reputation of others.

He added that the DSS merely used Facebook’s reporting channels and that Meta acted based on its independent policies.

The judge concluded that Sowore failed to prove his claims, dismissed the suit, and awarded costs in favour of the respondents.