Two prominent human rights organisations — the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project and Amnesty International Nigeria — have called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and withdraw the criminal charges recently filed against activist Omoyele Sowore, as well as social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
The appeal was contained in a joint letter dated September 20, 2025, and signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, and Amnesty International Nigeria’s Country Director, Isa Sanusi.
The groups urged the President to stop the Department of State Services, and other agencies from what they described as the “misuse of judicial processes to silence dissent.”
“The weaponisation of the justice system to crack down on peaceful dissent is entirely inconsistent with the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) and the country’s international human rights obligations,” the letter stated.
They also pressed Tinubu to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), to present a draft anti-SLAPP law before the National Assembly to protect citizens from lawsuits designed to stifle free speech.
According to court documents, Sowore faces five counts at the Federal High Court in Abuja, including two charges under the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act 2024 and three others under the Criminal Code, such as criminal defamation and causing public disturbance.
The charges were filed on September 16 after Sowore allegedly declined to delete online posts critical of President Tinubu.
The groups argued that such cases “create a chilling effect that discourages free expression,” warning that “SLAPP and criminal defamation lawsuits are neither necessary nor proportionate.”
They further reminded Tinubu of his Democracy Day speech in June, where he said, “We dare not seek silence because the imposed silence of repressed voices breeds chaos and ill will. Call me names, call me whatever you will, and I will still call upon democracy to defend your right to do so.”
In addition, the organisations recalled a 2022 ECOWAS Court ruling that ordered Nigeria to stop prosecuting citizens under Section 24 of the Cybercrime Act for “insulting public officials online,” describing the provision as arbitrary and repressive.
They also cited recent instances where the DSS allegedly used SLAPP lawsuits to target critics, including former presidential candidate Professor Pat Utomi in May 2025, and SERAP itself in October 2024.
“These cases illustrate the growing use of SLAPP lawsuits by security and law enforcement agencies in Nigeria to target, harass and intimidate citizens for the peaceful exercise of their rights,” the letter read.
The groups gave Tinubu seven days to act, warning that failure to withdraw the charges would compel them to pursue “all appropriate legal actions, including before the ECOWAS Court of Justice.”
Sowore, in a Facebook post confirming the suit, said, “The State Security Service, alias DSS, today filed a 5-count charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja against X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and myself. They claimed that because I called Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu a criminal, I have somehow committed a set of ‘novel’ offences they invented and spread across five counts.”
