The Department of State Services (DSS) has demanded that Omoyele Sowore, activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, retract his purportedly “false and malicious” social media post against President Bola Tinubu.
The agency had earlier submitted a request to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, to urgently deactivate Sowore’s verified account.
In a letter dated September 7, signed by Uwem Davies on behalf of Adeola Ajayi, the director-general of the DSS, the secret police demanded that Sowore retract his post on X and offer a public apology within one week.
The agency alleged that Sowore referred to Tinubu as a “criminal” in a post dated August 26, 2025, while ridiculing the president’s remarks in Brazil regarding corruption. According to the DSS, the post was deemed “repugnant, derogatory, and capable of inciting public disturbance”.
The service ordered Sowore to retract the statement with the same prominence on X, publish apologies in at least two national newspapers and two television stations, and submit a formal representation to its headquarters in Abuja or via email.
The DSS said the remarks were not only “false and malicious” but could incite “public disturbance, disunity and even insurrection”.
“These statements are, to say the least, capable of causing insurrection, as they are odious, repugnant, derogatory and uncomplimentary towards a person occupying the highest office of this country,” the agency’s letter reads.
It added that persons seeking to play critical roles in Nigeria’s democracy must exercise restraint and responsibility in both speech and action.
“Persons of your status who are campaigning to lead this country must exercise restraint and responsibility in their speech,” the service said.
The DSS further noted that it has a constitutional mandate to ensure Nigerians are not misled by “false propaganda”, adding that it would “explore all lawful means” to counter misinformation capable of undermining national unity.
The letter was also copied to the United States embassy in Abuja.
In his response on X, Sowore rejected the DSS directive.
“Even if you @OfficialDSSNG give me till the end of Tinubu’s tenure in 2027, I will NOT withdraw my statement (for I believe his tenure shall not go beyond on or before 2027),” Sowore wrote.
Sowore, who ran for president under the African Action Congress (AAC), has maintained a critical stance towards successive Nigerian governments.
