…Fixes May 18 for hearing
A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, rejected a move by Tope Temokun, counsel to online publisher and politician, Omoyele Sowore, to secure a month’s adjournment in a suit he filed against the Department of State Services (DSS) and Meta Platforms Incorporated (owners of Facebook and X).
The Court presided over by Justice Mohammed Umar judge expressed surprise that Temokun, who as counsel to the plaintiff, should be interested in a speedy adjudication, would seek a month’s adjournment.
Justice Umar therefore overruled the Temokun and fixed May 18, 2026 for hearing.
Sowore had in September 2025, sued the DSS, Meta Platforms Inc. and X Corp., accusing them of unconstitutional censorship of his social media accounts and prayed the court to declare as unconstitutional the request by the DSS for Meta to delete his posts calling President Bola Tinubu a “criminal.”
Listed as defendants were the DSS, its Director General, Oluwatosin Ajayi, and Meta.
When the matter came up on Wednesday, Sowore’s counsel, Temokun, drew the court’s attention to the withdrawal and substitution of an earlier application and counter-affidavit by counsel to Meta Incorporated, who were listed as the third defendants.
However, counsel to the DSS and the Director General of the Agency, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, noted the tardiness of the Meta legal team and pointedly blamed the Meta team for all the delays encountered in the course of the matter, and expressed a desire for speedy resolution of the matter.
Kehinde told the court that it was in the interest of justice that the matter be quickly dispensed with.
Kehinde told the court that he had fully prepared from the beginning and appealed to the court to accord the matter accelerated hearing.
Kehinde and Sowore’s counsel, did not however object to the withdrawal and substitution of Meta’s application and counter affidavit, but the counsel to the DSS further appealed to the court not to make a long adjournment.
At this point, Justice Umar, who noted that courts prioritize matters bordering of the rights of citizens, offered Sowore’s counsel the privilege to choose a date for which he proposed June 2, which the judge said was not a close enough date.
Accordingly, Justice Umar held that, against the importance the matter, as the presiding judge, has the final say, thus directed all the parties to return to his court on May 18, 2026.
The court had on April 2, dismissed a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Sowore, against the DSS, its Director General, and Meta Platforms Incorporated (formerly Facebook).
The trial judged resolved the three issues identified for determination against Sowore, declined to grant any of the reliefs sought, and dismissed Sowore’s suit for lacking in merit.
Justice Umar also awarded N1.5 million cost against Sowore.
