The Department of State Services’ (DSS) 24-hour ultimatum to X (formerly Twitter) has expired, but activist Omoyele Sowore’s tweet describing President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” remains online.
In a letter dated Saturday, September 6, 2025 and publicised early Sunday, the DSS demanded the “immediate and urgent ban/deactivation of an X account owned by Omoyele Sowore through his verified X handle @YeleSowore or any other X account maintained by him.”
EDITOR’S PICKS
The security agency said it had “detected and monitored with dismay and consternation a widely condemned publication/trending Tweet by Omoyele Sowore… disparaging and ridiculing the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Quoting the post — “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 argued that Sowore’s words were “personally directed at Mr. President” and capable of “serious harm.”
DSS Warning
The letter warned X that the tweet had already “attracted widespread condemnation by majority of Nigerians, some of whom may resort to unwholesome activities to vent their grievance over it, especially supporters of the President who have started taking to the streets in protest.”
It described the tweet as “extremely dangerous, false, privacy violation behavior that manipulate and negatively impacts on the person of the President and the Country,” citing Section 51 of the Criminal Code, the Cybercrimes Act 2025, and the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
The DSS warned that failure to act would force the Federal Government to take “far-reaching, sweeping and across-the-board measures” against X. Sowore revealed on Monday that the agency sent a similar threat letter to Facebook to remove a similar post.
The Ultimatum Expires
As of the evening of Monday, September 8 — well past the 24-hour deadline — X has not taken down Sowore’s tweet or suspended his account. Sowore himself confirmed that X notified him of the complaint and vowed, “One option I will NOT be taking is deleting that Tweet.”
Since Tesla CEO completed a takeover of X in November 2022, he has often encouraged the company to resist attempts by the government to force the platform to delete critical posts. But the company often complies whenever it receives a court to take an action.
It is unclear whether the DSS will seek a court order to force X’s hand after the company ignored its ultimatum or take more severe action.
Could X Face a Ban?
The DSS did not specify what measures the government would take. The letter read in part: “Should you fail, neglect and refuse to comply with the command in this notice, the Federal Government will be compelled to take far-reaching, sweeping and across-the-board measures through our Organization, whose mandate covers such criminal acts.”
With the unspecified threats, the secret police leaves open questions about whether it might move to restrict or suspend X as the Federal Government did in 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
That seven-month suspension followed X’s deletion of a Buhari tweet and accusations that the platform was being used to threaten Nigeria’s unity. The suspension lasted from June 2021 until January 2022, disrupting online businesses and sparking international criticism. It was only lifted after negotiations with X that resulted in commitments on local compliance and engagement with Nigerian regulators.
FURTHER READING
Whether the Tinubu administration will follow a similar path remains unclear. For now, the standoff has set up a potential showdown between Nigeria’s security services and X, with the government’s next move under close watch.
Philip Ibitoye is a Special Correspondent with EKO HOT BLOG. Click here to find daily analysis and critical insight on trending issues in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria.
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