Fresh revelations have rocked Nigeria’s security and justice system after court documents surfaced showing that the Department of State Services (DSS) allegedly forged the signature of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), M. B. Abubakar, to frame rights activist Omoyele Sowore with cyberbullying charges against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The discrepancies, first highlighted by Sowore on X (formerly Twitter), were confirmed through certified documents obtained by SaharaReporters on Wednesday. The signature allegedly used by the DSS on Sowore’s charge sheet was found to differ markedly from Abubakar’s authentic signature on other official filings, including FRN v. Cecil Osakwe & Victor Giwa (2023).
Sowore condemned the development, describing the DSS as a “rogue agency,” and insisting the charges were politically motivated. The DSS had filed a five-count charge at the Federal High Court, Abuja, accusing him of defaming Tinubu by labelling him a “criminal.” The suit also controversially listed Meta Platforms Inc. (the parent company of Facebook) and X Corp. as co-defendants, raising concerns about international tech platforms being drawn into domestic censorship battles.
Legal experts and human rights defenders warn that the allegations not only cast doubt on the DSS’s credibility but also risk undermining Nigeria’s justice system. “Forgery of prosecutorial documents is a grave abuse of power. It strikes at the very foundation of due process and fair trial,” one senior lawyer noted.
Meanwhile, Sowore has fired back with a counter-suit, demanding that the DSS be restrained from directing global social media platforms to delete his posts. His lawyer, Tope Temokun, described the censorship attempt as “a threat to the survival of free speech in Nigeria,” citing Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression.
“The Constitution is clear: no security agency has the authority to suspend or delete those rights. Meta and X must resist being co-opted as tools of repression,” Temokun argued.
The explosive development has sparked national outrage, with calls for an independent investigation into the DSS’s conduct. Observers warn that the case is no longer just about Sowore, but about setting dangerous precedents for political repression and digital authoritarianism in Nigeria.
As the legal battle unfolds, activists urge Nigerians to remain vigilant. “Today it is Sowore; tomorrow it could be anyone. This is about principle, not personalities,” Sowore declared.
The charges are yet to be assigned to a judge, and no date has been fixed for arraignment.
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