Amnesty International has demanded that Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) immediately withdraw its request to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) for the removal of a post by human rights activist Omoyele Sowore criticizing President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement on Sunday, the global rights watchdog described the move as “a brazen attempt to silence critical voices and generate a climate of fear” in Nigeria’s online space. X had earlier notified Sowore of the DSS request.
Amnesty said the demand by Nigerian authorities for the deactivation of Sowore’s account was “outrageous” and a “desperate attempt at censorship and abuse of power.”
According to the group, the DSS action lacked any legal justification under Nigerian or international law. It stressed that the move violated the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended), the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which Nigeria has ratified.
“Nigerian authorities must refrain from violating human rights online, including the rights to freedom of expression and privacy, and fulfil their constitutional and international human rights obligations,” Amnesty said.
The organisation also urged X not to yield to censorship demands from the Nigerian government, insisting the platform must “do all in its power to protect freedom of expression” and ensure activists are not silenced.
