Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has petitioned Meta Platforms Inc., urging the tech giant to reject a request by Nigeria’s secret police — the State Security Service to deactivate the Facebook account of activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore.

In a letter dated September 8 and addressed to Meta’s headquarters in California, Mr Effiong, writing on behalf of his client, described the State Security Service’s (SSS) demand as “unlawful, unconstitutional and a blatant attempt to silence criticism of President Bola Tinubu.” Peoples Gazette obtained a copy of the letter Monday night.

The SSS had, on September 7, written to Meta, alleging that Mr Sowore’s posts amounted to “misleading information, incitement to violence, cybercrime and hate speech,” and requested the immediate suspension of his verified Facebook page and related accounts.

But Mr Effiong dismissed the claims, arguing that they were unfounded and inapplicable under both Nigerian and international law.

“The allegations … are calculated to silence our client’s criticism of the government,” the lawyer wrote. “The demand by the SSS, if granted, will constitute a violation of our client’s right to freedom of expression, guaranteed under domestic laws and international human rights instruments.”

He cited Section 39 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression and the right to operate any medium for disseminating information, as well as Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Mr Effiong further argued that Mr Sowore’s controversial post did not breach Meta’s community standards. He stressed that while the post was critical of President Tinubu, it contained no threats, incitement to violence or hateful content based on race, religion, gender or other protected categories.

The lawyer also accused the SSS of deliberately citing irrelevant provisions of the Criminal Code, Cybercrimes Act and Terrorism Prevention Act to justify its demand, insisting that none of them applied to the activist’s case.

Quoting a 1985 Court of Appeal judgment that struck down sedition as unconstitutional, Mr Effiong noted that public officials should resort to defamation suits rather than misuse state security institutions to suppress dissent.

“It is the height of impunity for an agency established by law to ensure internal security to sycophantically deploy its instrumentality for the personal aggrandizement of a politician paid with public funds,” the lawyer said.

Mr Effiong urged Meta to resist the “sinister demand,” warning that acceding to it would set a dangerous precedent and embolden Nigerian authorities to clamp down further on dissenting voices.

“The request is an egregious effort to massage the ego of the Nigerian president … and to foist tyranny on the country,” he added.

Mr Sowore, a pro-democracy campaigner, publisher of Sahara Reporters, and two-time presidential candidate, has frequently clashed with successive Nigerian governments over his activism.