Human rights advocate, Inibehe Effiong, has officially petitioned Meta Platforms Inc., cautioning the tech giant against granting a controversial request from Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS). The DSS had demanded the deactivation of activist Omoyele Sowore’s Facebook account, a move Effiong described as unlawful, unconstitutional, and a blatant assault on the right to free speech in Nigeria. In the letter addressed to Meta on Monday, Effiong strongly argued that the DSS request amounts to censorship, stressing that it undermines democratic values and freedom of expression. He further highlighted that the DSS petition to both Meta and X (formerly Twitter) to deactivate Sowore’s social media accounts was based on irrelevant legal references and lacked any genuine foundation. According to the DSS, Sowore was accused of sharing ‘unsavoury’ content that allegedly maligned the character of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. However, Effiong countered this claim, emphasizing that Sowore’s publications in no way violated Meta’s Community Standards. “We urge Meta to recognize the DSS demand for what it truly represents: a calculated attempt to shield the Nigerian President from criticism, legally baseless maneuvers aimed at undermining democracy, and a dangerous step toward authoritarian rule,” Effiong stated. The lawyer insisted that the DSS appeared to be holding brief unlawfully for the Nigerian President, noting that Tinubu himself has not filed any personal lawsuit against Sowore. Effiong stressed that if the President feels wronged by any publication, the appropriate step is to approach the courts rather than deploy state security agencies to harass or silence dissenting citizens. Effiong further appealed to Meta not to bow to what he described as a deliberate ploy to suppress dissenting voices in Nigeria. He warned that granting the DSS demand would create a disturbing precedent, paving the way for more government-driven clampdowns on civil liberties, digital freedom, and freedom of speech in the country. This petition has intensified public debate about government interference in media spaces, censorship of opposition voices, and the rising concerns about Nigeria’s democratic future.
