Sahara Reporters publisher and 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has defied an order from the Department of State Services (DSS) instructing him to delete a social media post attacking President Bola Tinubu
In a statement posted on X on Sunday, Sowore dismissed the directive as an attempt to silence his voice, vowing not to bow to intimidation.
“This morning, X (formerly Twitter) officially contacted me about the despicable threat letter they received from the lawless @OfficialDSSNG over my Tweet BELOW on Tinubu. One option I will NOT be taking is deleting that Tweet. Thank you, @X,” he wrote.
The post in question, shared on August 26, described Tinubu as a “criminal” after the president claimed in Brazil that corruption no longer existed under his administration.
“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!” Sowore tweeted.
According to a notification from X, which Sowore also shared, the DSS alleged that the tweet breached Nigerian laws, citing the Cyber Crimes Act and the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act. The agency argued the content could endanger national security and incite unrest.
While confirming the request, X said it had “not taken any action on the reported content at this time,” noting that its transparency rules require notifying users whenever governments or security agencies demand content removal.
Earlier reports suggested the DSS gave X a 24-hour deadline to pull down Sowore’s tweet.
Sowore, who has long been a fierce critic of successive Nigerian governments, has previously endured multiple run-ins with security operatives.
Follow Us on Facebook – @LadunLiadi; Instagram – @LadunLiadi; Twitter – @LadunLiadi; Youtube – @LadunLiadiTV for updates
, Omoyele Sowore, has defied an order from the Department of State Services (DSS) instructing him to delete a social media post attacking President Bola Tinubu.){kind=link}