Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has formally demanded that activist and politician Omoyele Sowore retract a recent social media post referring to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.”
The DSS, in a letter dated September 7, 2025, accused Sowore of making false and malicious statements capable of inciting public disturbance and disunity.
The letter, signed by Uwem Davies on behalf of the Director General of the DSS, references a post made by Sowore on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on August 26, 2025. In the post, Sowore wrote,
“This criminal actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!” The DSS letter states this comment was made in reference to President Tinubu.
According to the DSS, these words are “false, malicious, and capable of inciting public disturbance, disunity and breakdown of law and order.”
The agency claims that Sowore’s statements are “odious, repugnant, derogatory and uncomplimentary” and have the effect of “lowering the standing, estimation, and respect of Mr. President.”
The letter outlines three specific demands for Sowore:
An immediate and public retraction of the post on the same platform and with the same prominence.
A public apology in at least two national newspapers and two television stations.
A formal representation to the DSS headquarters in Abuja within one week.
The DSS also warned Sowore that as a “critical stakeholder of democracy” and someone who has campaigned to lead the country, he must “exercise restraint, and responsibility in their speech as well as action.”
The letter concludes with a stern warning, stating that if Sowore fails to correct the “false narrative,” the agency will “initiate measures it deems most appropriate within the ambit of the Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The letter was also copied to the United States Embassy in Abuja.
