A fresh confrontation has erupted between the Department of State Services (DSS) and rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, over moves to suspend his verified X (formerly Twitter) account.
The secret police, in a petition addressed to X Corp Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Elon Musk, asked that Sowore’s account, @YeleSowore, be deactivated and one of his recent posts taken down.
The letter, signed by B. Bamigboye on behalf of the Director-General of the DSS, accused the Sahara Reporters publisher of using the platform to spread messages that undermine national security.
The service claimed Sowore’s post amounted to “misleading information, hate speech, incitement to violence, and a threat to national security.”
The petition followed a tweet the activist posted on August 25, 2025, in which he accused President Bola Tinubu of making false claims during his official visit to Brazil.
The DSS maintained that the remark was not only disparaging but capable of provoking unrest among Tinubu’s supporters.
It argued that the tweet breached multiple Nigerian laws, citing Section 51 of the Criminal Code Act, the Cybercrimes Act 2025, and the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
The security agency described it as “domestic terrorism” and “deliberate disinformation” meant to tarnish Nigeria’s image abroad.
“The said tweet is still in circulation and has attracted widespread condemnation by majority of Nigerians, some of whom may resort to unwholesome activities to vent their grievance over it,” the DSS warned in its letter.
The agency said protests had already taken place by supporters of the President, warning that Sowore’s conduct represented “online harassment and abuse, willful intention of furthering an ideology capable of serious harm, and a deliberate attempt to discredit the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria before the comity of nations.”
It, therefore, asked X Corp. to suspend Sowore’s verified account or any other account operated by him, threatening legal consequences if its request was ignored.
But Sowore has dismissed the DSS petition as another attempt by the Tinubu administration to silence opposition voices.
In a post on Sunday, the former presidential candidate said he was not surprised by the “ridiculously crafted” letter the DSS sent to X, demanding his account be taken down within 24 hours.
“I woke up to yet another act of national disgrace, an assault on institutions, and on common sense,” Sowore wrote.
He alleged that the request was part of a pattern of harassment, recalling that protesters had recently marched around the Federal High Court and Ministry of Justice, calling on the DSS to arrest him.
Sowore pointed to his arrest during the #EndBadGovernance protest, a travel ban allegedly imposed by the Nigerian Immigration Service, the seizure of his passport, and what he called trumped-up charges filed against him as evidence of sustained persecution.
The activist also alleged he was assaulted in custody. He said the police broke into his cell and injured him before later accusing him of terrorism financing in court.
“To now export this disgrace to Twitter in the US shows how far Nigeria has sunk into the hands of its most incompetent and dysfunctional citizens,” he said.
He likened the DSS’s move to his experiences under former President Muhammadu Buhari, insisting that the same tactics failed in the past and would not succeed this time.
Sowore vowed to continue his activism despite attempts to shut down his platforms.