Delete post against Tinubu or Face arrest – DSS orders Sowore

The Department of State Services (DSS) has issued a one-week ultimatum to human rights activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, directing him to delete a social media post the agency described as “false, malicious, and inciting” against President Bola Tinubu.

In a letter dated September 7, the DSS accused Sowore of making criminal and derogatory remarks about the President in a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) on August 26. The agency warned that failure to comply would compel it to take all lawful steps necessary to safeguard national security and public order.

Sowore, a former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), had in the post referred to President Tinubu as a criminal and accused him of deceiving Nigerians after claiming that corruption no longer existed under his administration.

According to Uwem Davies, Director of Legal Services at the DSS, Sowore’s remarks had already provoked outrage among citizens and carried the potential to “incite public disturbance, disunity, and even insurrection.”

The activist, known for his outspoken criticism of successive Nigerian governments, has not publicly responded to the DSS directive at the time of filing this report.