The Department of State Services (DSS) has demanded the immediate removal of a social media post by activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, citing alleged violations of Nigerian law and potential risks to national security.
In a letter addressed to the Chairman and CEO of X Corp.—owners of the microblogging platform X, formerly Twitter—the DSS said Sowore’s post of August 25, 2025, at 11:38 p.m. via his verified handle, @YeleSowore, contained disparaging remarks about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The post read: “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!”
According to the DSS, the comment amounted to misleading information, online harassment, and hate speech, adding that it had already provoked unrest among supporters of the President. The agency further argued that the post undermines Nigeria’s international image and constitutes a threat to public order.
The letter, signed by DSS Director-General B. Bamigboye, claimed the post breached multiple legal provisions, including Section 51 of the Criminal Code Act, which prohibits false publication, as well as Sections 19, 22, and 24 of the Cybercrimes Act 2025, which criminalise offensive and misleading online content. It also referenced the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, describing Sowore’s tweet as domestic terrorism, potentially making both the author and X Corp. criminally liable.
The federal government gave X Corp. a 24-hour deadline to remove the post and its retweets, warning of “far-reaching, sweeping, and across-the-board measures” should the company fail to comply.
Sowore, however, has rejected the DSS request, insisting he will not delete the tweet. In a response on Sunday, the activist confirmed that X had officially notified him of the government’s demand.
“This morning, X officially contacted me about the despicable threat letter they received from the DSS over my tweet on Tinubu,” he wrote. “One option I will not be taking is deleting that tweet. Thank you, X.”
A notice from X, which Sowore shared, confirmed receipt of the DSS request but stated that no action had been taken against his account or content.
“As X strongly believes in defending and respecting the voice of our users, it is our policy to notify our users if we receive a legal request from an authorized entity (such as law enforcement or a government agency) to remove content from their account,” the platform said.
It further advised Sowore to seek legal counsel if he wished to challenge the request, while reaffirming its commitment to protecting user expression.
