The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and Amnesty International (AI) Nigeria have urged President Bola Tinubu to order the Department of States Services (DSS) to withdrawal criminal charges filed against human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, as well as social media platforms X and Facebook, over alleged anti-Tinubu posts.
The request was disclosed in a joint letter dated September 20, 2025, signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, and Amnesty International Nigeria Director, Isa Sanusi.
The groups urged Tinubu to stop the DSS and other security agencies from misusing judicial processes to silence dissent.
They further called on the President to direct his Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to propose an anti-SLAPP law before the National Assembly, to prevent the use of lawsuits to stifle public criticism.
“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 read in part.
They argued that two of the counts against Sowore were brought under the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act 2024, while three others, criminal defamation, causing public fear and disturbance, were filed under the Criminal Code Act.
The charges, lodged at the Federal High Court in Abuja on September 16, followed Sowore’s alleged refusal to delete posts critical of Tinubu.
The groups warned that the criminal defamation lawsuits are neither necessary nor proportionate and creates a chilling effect that discourages free expression.
