The Department of State Services (DSS) has issued a one-week ultimatum to human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, demanding the retraction of a social media post deemed “false, malicious, and inciting” against President Bola Tinubu.
The DSS in a letter dated September 7, warned that failure to comply would force it to “explore all lawful means” to protect national security and public order.
Sowore, a former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and pro-democracy activist, described President Tinubu as a “criminal” in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on August 26.
The activist accused Tinubu of lying to Nigerians after the President claimed that corruption no longer existed under his administration.
The DSS, through its Director of Legal Services, Uwem Davies, has demanded that Sowore immediately retract the post on X with the same prominence as the original statement.
The DSS also demanded that Sowore publish a public apology in at least two widely read national newspapers and two television stations with national coverage as well as submit a formal representation to the DSS headquarters within one week of receiving the letter.
In response, Sowore confirmed that X had officially contacted him regarding the DSS letter but refused to delete the post, stating, “one option I will not be taking is deleting that Tweet. Thank you, @X”.
