Department of State Services (DSS) has called for the immediate suspension and deactivation of the X account belonging to activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, accusing him of disseminating false information capable of inciting violence and threatening national security.
This was contained in a letter dated September 6, 2025, and addressed to the Chairman and CEO of X Corp. in Bastrop County, Texas.The DSS gave the platform 24 hours to act.
The letter, signed by B. Bamigboye on behalf of the Director -General of the Service, referenced a post made by Sowore on his verified handle, @YeleSowore, on August 25, 2025.
Pix: Sowere
Correspondence was shared on Sunday via the DSS’s verified handle, @OfficialDSSNG.
The post read: “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!”
The DSS described the comment as a direct attack on the President through his official communication channel, @officialABAT, and said it “has attracted widespread condemnation by majority of Nigerians, some of whom may resort to unwholesome activities to vent their grievance over it, especially supporters of the President who have started taking to the streets in protest, thereby creating political tension and threatening the country’s national security.”
The Service maintained that the tweet violated several Nigerian laws, including Section 51 of the Criminal Code Act, Sections 19, 22 and 24 of the Cyber Crimes Act 2025, as well as provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
“It is not in doubt that the words employed by 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 within the Comity of Nations to damage the image of Nigeria and cause serious threat to national security of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the letter stated.
The DSS insisted that X Corp. must “immediately take down the tweet and its attendant re-tweets,” and further demanded the ban or deactivation of Sowore’s verified account as well as any other accounts maintained by him.
“This demand is unequivocal with its attendant consequence. Should you fail, neglect and refuse to comply with the command in this notice, the Department of State Services will be compelled to take far-reaching, sweeping and across-the-board measures through our Organization, whose mandate covers such criminal acts,” the letter warned.
Author:Maureen Ikpeama