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DSS accuses Sowore’s post of threatening national security
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Security agency warns of unrest among presidential supporters
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X Corporation told to delete post and retweets within 24 hours
The Department of State Services has ordered X Corporation to delete a tweet by political activist Omoyele Sowore, describing the post as a direct threat to Nigeria’s national security.
The activist, who contested the presidency in 2019, had on August 25 posted a video of President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to Brazil, using his verified X handle, @YeleSowore. In the video, President Tinubu declared that corruption no longer exists in Nigeria. Sowore responded in strong terms, accusing the President of lying.
In a letter dated September 6, signed by B. Bamigboye on behalf of the Director-General of the DSS, the agency labelled the post “false, online harassment, and a willful attempt to spread an ideology.” It warned that the circulation of the message had already triggered protests among some supporters of the President, generating political tension across parts of the country.
The DSS maintained that the post was capable of tarnishing Nigeria’s global image, stressing that it contravened Section 51 of the Criminal Code Act, the Cybercrimes Act 2025, and provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
The security agency further alleged that Sowore’s words amounted to misleading information, hate speech, and an effort to cause disunity while discrediting the Presidency before the international community.
READ ALSO: Sowore Rejects Coalition with Peter Obi, Labels Him ‘Non-Performer’
It therefore ordered X Corporation to remove the post and all retweets within 24 hours or face “far-reaching, sweeping, and across-the-board measures.”
This latest confrontation mirrors Nigeria’s 2021 suspension of Twitter, after the platform deleted a post by then-President Muhammadu Buhari. That suspension, which attracted global criticism, lasted until January 13, 2022.
