- DSS to X: “Take down Sowore’s tweet against Tinubu”
- Sowore: “I will not take down any tweet”
By Abiola Olawale
The Department of State Services (DSS) and activist Omoyele Sowore are locked in a battle of words over a controversial tweet criticizing President Bola Tinubu.
The dispute, which erupted on September 7, 2025, centers on a DSS demand to X Corporation to remove Sowore’s post, which the agency claimed threatens national security.
Sowore, a very prominent human rights activist and publisher of the frontline Sahara Reporters, a New York, United States based digital newspaper, has responded, vowing to disregard the DSS demand.
The New Diplomat reports that the saga began on August 25, 2025, when Sowore posted a message on his verified X handle targeting Tinubu.
Sharing a video from Tinubu’s state visit to Brazil, Sowore wrote, “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 tweet, which directly referenced the president’s official X handle, @officialABAT, quickly gained traction.
The DSS, in a letter dated September 6, 2025, and signed by B. Bamigboye on behalf of the Director-General, labeled the tweet as “false, misleading, and a willful attempt to spread an ideology.”
The Intelligence agency argued that the post could allegedly incite violence. The DSS further claimed that Sowore’s tweet allegedly violated Nigerian laws, referencing Section 51 of the Criminal Code Act and provisions of the Cybercrimes Act 2025, citing risks to national security and Nigeria’s global reputation.
The letter read in part: “It is against the above highlighted backdrop that we make an immediate and urgent demand on your corporation to, as a matter of policy, immediately take down the tweet and its attendant retweets. Should you fail, neglect, or refuse to comply within 24 hours, the Federal Government will be compelled to take far-reaching and sweeping measures through our organisation.”
However, Sowore maintained that he will not delete the tweet.
Sowore disclosed this in a post on his X account on Sunday morning, revealing that the social media platform had formally contacted him about the DSS request.
He said: “This morning, X (formerly Twitter) officially contacted me about the despicable threat letter they received from the lawless DSS over my Tweet on Tinubu. One option I will NOT be taking is deleting that Tweet. Thank you, @X.”
