By Ismaeel Aleem
The Department of State Services (DSS) has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to X Corp (formerly Twitter), demanding the removal of a tweet by activist Omoyele Sowore that criticized President Bola Tinubu.
The tweet, posted on August 25, 2025, via Sowore’s verified handle @YeleSowore, 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 government claims the post disparages Tinubu’s assertion during a Brazil visit that corruption in Nigeria has ended under his administration.
In a letter signed by B. Bamigboye on behalf of the Department of State Services (DSS) Director-General, addressed to X Corp.’s Chairman and CEO in Bastrop County, Texas, the DSS accused Sowore of spreading misleading information, engaging in online harassment, and inciting violence. The letter cited violations of Section 51 of the Criminal Code Act, which prohibits publishing false information, and Sections 19, 22, and 24 of the Cyber Crimes Act 2025, which criminalize misleading or offensive online content. Additionally, the DSS invoked Section 2 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022, labeling the tweet as “domestic terrorism” that could harm Nigeria’s international reputation and provoke unrest.
The agency claimed the post caused “widespread condemnation” and sparked protests among Tinubu’s supporters, though no specific evidence of such unrest was provided.
This morning, Sowore revealed on X that he was officially contacted by X Corp. regarding what he described as a “despicable threat letter” from the DSS about his tweet.
In a statement, he wrote, “This morning, X (formerly Twitter) officially contacted me about the despicable threat letter they received from the lawless DSS over my Tweet on Tinubu.
One option I will NOT be taking is deleting that Tweet. Thank you, @X.”
X Corp.’s communication to Sowore, shared publicly, read: “Hello @YeleSowore,
“In the interest of transparency, we are writing to inform you that X has received a request from Department of State Services regarding your X account, @YeleSowore, that claims the following content violates the law(s) of Nigeria. We have not taken any action on the reported content at this time as a result of this request. As X strongly believes in defending and respecting the voice of our users, it is our policy to notify our users if we receive a legal request from an authorized entity (such as law enforcement or a government agency) to remove content from their account. This may include seeking legal counsel and challenging the request in court, contacting relevant civil society organizations, voluntarily deleting the content (if applicable), or finding some other resolution.”
The DSS warned that failure to remove the tweet and its retweets within 24 hours could lead to criminal liability for both Sowore and X Corp., threatening “far-reaching and sweeping measures.”
Sowore, a vocal critic with a history of challenging government overreach evidenced by his 2019 detention under the Buhari administration remains defiant, refusing to delete the tweet. X Corp.’s notification to Sowore without immediate compliance suggests a commitment to free speech, though its final response to the ultimatum remains unclear as of September 7, 2025.
The government’s invocation of terrorism laws and claims of incitement appear disproportionate without evidence of direct harm or violence caused by the tweet.
SERAP urges Tinubu to withdraw DSS threat against X over Sowore’s tweet
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has issued warned President Bola Tinubu, urging him to instruct the State Security Service (SSS), also known as DSS, to immediately withdraw its implied threat to ban social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in Nigeria.
In a statement, SERAP said that any action to ban X would be a “collective punishment and crackdown on access to social media” and would create a chilling effect on Nigerians’ rights to freedom of expression, media freedom, and access to information online.
