Activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has openly defied the Department of State Services (DSS) over a directive to delete a post on his social media account in which he described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.”
Sowore, in a statement on Sunday, said he would not succumb to what he termed attempts by the DSS to silence him. The activist revealed that X (formerly Twitter) had informed him about a “threat letter” from the DSS demanding that the post be taken down.
“One option I will NOT be taking is deleting that tweet. Thank you,” he wrote on his X page, maintaining his stance against the security agency’s order.
The DSS had argued that Sowore’s post contravened Nigerian laws, citing provisions of the Cyber Crimes Act and the Terrorism Prevention Act. According to the agency, the statement could undermine national security and potentially incite protests.
In response, X confirmed it received the removal request from the DSS but clarified that the tweet remained visible. The company said, under its transparency policy, it is required to inform users when governments or security agencies attempt to restrict their posts.
“We understand this kind of notice can be disturbing,” X said in its message to Sowore, while advising him to seek legal assistance.
Reports had earlier indicated that the DSS issued X a 24-hour deadline to delete the post. However, the platform has yet to take such action.
Sowore’s defiance adds to his long record of confrontations with Nigeria’s security agencies. He was previously detained for his involvement in organizing nationwide protests and remains one of the government’s fiercest critics.
