Omoyele Sowore’s law firm, Tope Temokun Chambers, has asked X (formerly Twitter) to disregard a request from the Department of State Services (DSS) to delete one of Sowore’s posts criticizing President Bola Tinubu.
The DSS claimed the post could incite violence and threaten national security, but Sowore’s lawyers argue that the request is “unlawful, unconstitutional, and without legal foundation”.
Citing Section 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the law firm emphasized that only a court of competent jurisdiction can restrict freedom of expression.
They accused the Nigerian government of a “historical pattern of repression” against Sowore, highlighting his repeated arrests and detentions since 2019.
The lawyers also noted that Sowore is a US permanent resident, making this issue a matter of both Nigerian constitutional law and international concern.
Complying with the DSS request, they warned, would make X complicit in violating human rights obligations.
The law firm demanded that X ignore the DSS directive, stating that any compliance would amount to “aiding and abetting state repression”.
