The Department of State Services (DSS) has written to X Corp., requesting the immediate removal of a tweet by activist and politician Omoyele Sowore, which the agency claims disparaged President Bola Tinubu and poses a threat to national security.
On August 25, Sowore, through his verified handle @YeleSowore, shared a video of President Tinubu during a state visit to Brazil. In the post, the former presidential candidate accused the President of lying after he declared that corruption was no longer an issue in Nigeria. 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!”
In a letter dated September 6 and signed by B. Bamigboye on behalf of the Director-General of the DSS, the agency described Sowore’s remarks as “false, online harassment and a willful attempt to further an ideology.”
The DSS argued that the tweet, directed at the President’s official account @officialABAT, had the potential to spark unrest among Nigerians, particularly Tinubu’s supporters. It warned that some loyalists had already taken to the streets in protest, escalating political tension and threatening national security.
Part of the letter reads:
“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, especially supporters of the President who have started taking to the streets in protest. This is in addition to the disparaging effect the tweet has on the reputation of Mr. President and the country before the comity of nations.”
The agency further argued that the tweet violated several Nigerian laws, including Section 51 of the Criminal Code Act, provisions of the Cyber Crimes Act 2025, and Section 2(3) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022. It described Sowore’s words as “misleading information, online harassment and abuse, hate speech, and a willful attempt to discredit the President and damage Nigeria’s image globally.”
The DSS directed X Corp. to remove the post and all re-shares within 24 hours, warning that failure to comply would attract “far-reaching, sweeping, and across-the-board measures” from the Federal Government.
The development has rekindled memories of June 2021, when the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari suspended Twitter’s operations in Nigeria after the platform deleted one of his tweets. That suspension lasted until January 13, 2022.
