Department of State Services (DSS) has demanded that X deactivate Omoyele Sowore’s verified account.
Gatekeepers News reports that the agency accused the activist of making remarks about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that could incite unrest and undermine national security.
Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters had on August 25 described Tinubu as a criminal in response to the president’s anti-corruption comments during a visit to Brazil.
In a letter dated September 6, signed by B. Bamigboye on behalf of the director-general of the DSS, the agency said the tweet was intended to ridicule Tinubu before the global community.
It said, “The said tweet is still in circulation and has 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, thereby creating political tension and threatening the country’s national security.”
DSS further described Sowore’s remarks as misleading information, online harassment, hate speech, and a willful attempt to cause disunity and damage Nigeria’s image.
It added, “The author and purveyor of the inflammatory online publication against Mr President is very much aware that the publication is prohibited by Nigerian law.”
The agency cited the criminal code, the cybercrime act, and the terrorism prevention act. It said that the post could qualify as domestic terrorism.
DSS demanded that X immediately remove the post and deactivate Sowore’s account, warning that failure to comply within 24 hours would trigger government action.
It wrote, “It is against the above highlighted backdrop that we make an immediate and urgent demand on your Corporation to as a matter of its own policy, immediately TAKE DOWN the tweet and its attendant re-tweets.”
“This demand is unequivocal with its attendant consequence. 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.”
“In the light of the above having been made official to you, 24 hours is sufficient enough to take necessary action.”
