DSS Pressures X to Pull Down Sowore’s Post on Tinubu

The Department of State Services (DSS) has asked X Corp. to delete a post by rights activist and politician, Omoyele Sowore, describing it as an attack on President Bola Tinubu and a threat to national security.

In the post, dated August 25, Sowore criticised Tinubu for claiming during a state visit to Brazil that corruption had been eradicated in Nigeria. The former presidential candidate wrote on his verified handle @YeleSowore: “This criminal @officialABAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”

The DSS, in a letter signed by B. Bamigboye on behalf of its Director-General, maintained that the post was “false, abusive, and a deliberate attempt to incite.” It warned that the publication could trigger unrest among Tinubu’s supporters, who had reportedly begun protesting in reaction to the remarks.

The agency further claimed the tweet violated provisions of the Criminal Code Act, the Cyber Crimes Act 2025, and the Terrorism Prevention Act 2022, noting that it amounted to spreading fake news, online harassment, and hate speech capable of undermining national unity.

“The words employed by Mr. Sowore constitute misleading information, hate speech, and a willful effort to discredit the President before the comity of nations, with grave implications for national security,” the letter stated.

X Corp. was given 24 hours to remove the tweet and related re-posts or face “far-reaching and sweeping measures” by the Federal Government.

This development has revived memories of the 2021 suspension of Twitter in Nigeria under former President Muhammadu Buhari, after the platform deleted one of his posts. That ban lasted until January 2022.