•DSS and Omoyele Sowore
The Department of State Services (DSS) has written X to suspend and deactivate the account belonging to controversial activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore.
It accused him of spreading false information capable of inciting violence and threatening national security, reports The Nation.
The DSS gave X Corp. 24 hours to act on the demand.
But Sowore’s lawyers have urged the international service provider to ignore the request by the secret police.
In a letter, dated September 6 and addressed to the Chairman and CEO of X Corp. in Bastrop County, Texas, by B. Bamigboye on behalf of the Director General of the DSS, the secret police referred to a post Sowore made on his verified handle, @YeleSowore, on August 25. The letter was posted on the verified DSS handle, @OfficialDSSNG, yesterday.
The post by Sowore reads: “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 described the comment as a direct attack on the president through his official communication channel, @officialABAT, and said it “has attracted widespread condemnation by majority of Nigerians, some of whom may resort to unwholesome activities to vent their grievance over it, especially supporters of the president who have started taking to the streets in protest, thereby creating political tension and threatening the country’s national security”.
The secret police maintained that the tweet violated several Nigerian laws, including Section 51 of the Criminal Code Act; sections 19, 22, and 24 of the Cyber Crimes Act, 2025, as well as provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
“It is not in doubt that the (use of) words employed by Mr. Omoyele Sowore is misleading information, online harassment and abuse, willful intention of furthering an ideology capable of serious harm, hate speech, cause disunity, discredit/disparage the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria within the Comity of Nations to damage the image of Nigeria and cause serious threat to national security of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the letter stated.
The DSS insisted that X Corp. must “immediately take down the tweet and its attendant retweets,” and further demanded the ban or deactivation of Sowore’s verified account as well as any other accounts maintained by him.
“This demand is unequivocal with its attendant consequence. Should you fail, neglect and refuse to comply with the command in this notice, the Department of State Services will be compelled to take far-reaching, sweeping, and across-the-board measures through our Organisation, whose mandate covers such criminal acts,” the letter warned.
Reacting to the request by the DSS, Sowore’s lawyers, Tope Temokun Chambers, urged X to disregard it.
In a post yesterday, Sowore said X officially contacted him about a letter from the DSS demanding the removal of his content.
In a letter addressed to X, the law firm described the DSS request as “unlawful, unconstitutional, and without legal foundation”.
Citing Section 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution, Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and several judicial precedents, the law firm noted that only a court of competent jurisdiction can restrict expression.
“The DSS is not a court of law and cannot arrogate such powers to itself,” the letter said.
The law firm accused the Nigerian government of a “historical pattern of repression” against Sowore, referencing his repeated arrests, detentions, and ongoing trials since 2019.
“This request is not an isolated incident but part of a pattern of harassment and censorship designed to silence a critic of the government,” the letter said.
It noted that complying with the request of the DSS would make X “complicit in the violation of human rights obligations”.
The lawyers urged X to ignore the directive of the DSS, saying any compliance would amount to “aiding and abetting state repression”.
It added: “We must emphasise that Mr. Sowore is a U.S.-based permanent resident, which makes this issue one of not only Nigerian constitutional law but also of international concern. To comply with the DSS request would make X complicit in the violation of both Nigerian and international human rights standards.
“In view of the above, we demand that X disregard the unlawful request of the DSS. Any compliance with this censorship attempt would amount to aiding and abetting state repression in violation of binding human rights obligations.
“Our client reserves the right to seek redress before competent national and international fora should any action be taken that violates his rights.”
