DSS Asks X Corp to Ban Sowore Over “Inciting” Posts Against Tinubu‎

DSS Asks X Corp to Ban Sowore Over “Inciting” Posts Against Tinubu‎

By Abiola Adigun

The Department of State Services (DSS) has written to X Corp, owners of the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, demanding the immediate suspension of the verified account of Nigerian activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, over what it described as “misleading information and incitement against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
In a letter dated September 6, 2025, and addressed to the Chairman and CEO of X Corp in Bastrop County, Texas, USA, the DSS alleged that Sowore, through his handle @YeleSowore, made “derogatory and false” remarks against President Tinubu following his recent trip to Brazil.
The letter cited a post by Sowore on August 25, 2025, at 11:38 pm (WAT), in which he 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!”

According to the DSS, the post, which tagged the president’s verified account @officialABAT, amounted to cybercrime, hate speech, and incitement to violence. The security agency argued that the publication had attracted widespread condemnation, triggered protests by Tinubu’s supporters, and created political tension capable of threatening national security.
The DSS further invoked provisions of Nigerian law, including Section 51 of the Criminal Code Act, Sections 19, 22, and 24 of the Cybercrimes Act 2025, and Section 2(3) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, which it said criminalize the deliberate spread of falsehood, offensive online content, and activities that could provoke ethnic or political unrest.

“It is not in doubt that the words employed by Mr. Omoyele Sowore is misleading information, online harassment and abuse, willful intention of furthering an ideology capable of serious harm, hate speech, cause disunity, discredit/disparage the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria… and cause serious threat to national security,” the letter read in part.
The agency insisted that Sowore’s continued presence on the platform constituted a danger and demanded the “immediate and urgent ban/deactivation” of his account or any other accounts he operates.

Dr. Olumide Adeyemi, a political communication scholar, said the DSS action “falls within the responsibility of the government to prevent the spread of incitement and protect the dignity of leadership institutions.”
He added:

“Freedom of expression is important, but no democracy allows speech that can directly endanger public order or destabilize governance.”
Omoyele Sowore, publisher of the online newspaper Sahara Reporters and a former presidential candidate, has been a frequent critic of successive Nigerian governments. He has had multiple confrontations with state authorities, including past arrests over allegations of treason and incitement.
Reacting to the letter Sowore wrote on his X handle @YeleSowore:

“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”.

Sowore quoted in part, the letter purportedly written to him by X :

“We have not taken any action on the reported content at this time as a result of this request”.

“As X strongly believes in defending and respecting the voice of our users, it is our policy to notify our users if we receive a legal request from an authorized entity (such as law enforcement or a government agency) to remove content from their account. We provide notice whether or not the user lives in the country where the request originated”.

X Corp has not yet issued a statement on the matter.