The Department of State Services (DSS) has written to X Corp., owners of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), demanding the immediate removal and deactivation of the verified account of activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, over a post deemed “misleading, offensive and capable of threatening Nigeria’s national security.”
In a letter dated September 6, 2025, and addressed to the Chairman and CEO of X Corp. in Texas, USA, the DSS alleged that Sowore, through his handle @YeleSowore, published a tweet on August 25, 2025, at 11:38 p.m., directly disparaging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The controversial 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, in its letter signed by B. Bamigboye on behalf of the Director-General, argued that the statement was not only personally directed at President Tinubu through his official handle @officialABAT, but also amounted to “misleading information, online harassment, hate speech, and incitement capable of causing disunity and violence.”
The agency further claimed the tweet had “attracted widespread condemnation,” with some supporters of the president allegedly protesting in the streets, thereby heightening political tension.
Citing Nigerian laws, the DSS said Sowore’s tweet violated 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 maintained that both the author and the platform could be held criminally liable.
The letter read in part: “It is against the above highlighted backdrop that we make an immediate and urgent demand on your corporation to, as a matter of policy, immediately take down the tweet and its attendant re-tweets. Should you fail, neglect or refuse to comply within 24 hours, the Federal Government will be compelled to take far-reaching and sweeping measures through our organisation.”
The DSS described Sowore’s remarks as a willful attempt to “discredit the President before the comity of nations, damage Nigeria’s image, and pose a serious threat to national security.”
The post Take down Sowore’s tweet against President Tinubu – DSS writes X Corp appeared first on Vanguard News.
