Sahara Reporters publisher Omoyele Sowore and a lawyer in his legal team, Tope Temokun, on Sunday condemned the State Security Services’ attempt to pressure social media platform X (formerly Twitter) into deleting a post critical of President Bola Tinubu, calling the move “illegal, unconstitutional, and an abuse of power.”
In a statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Temokun said the SSS lacks legal authority to censor citizens or direct private platforms to remove content.
“Only a competent court can order the removal of speech. The DSS (SSS) is not a court; it is a security agency,” he said.
Mr Temokun cited Section 39 of the Nigerian constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression, and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, domesticated into Nigerian law.
He referenced Supreme Court and Court of Appeal rulings affirming that fundamental rights cannot be curtailed except in strict compliance with the law and that the government must not use state power to suppress free speech.
Mr Temokun warned that privately pressuring X to remove content is “an unlawful abuse of power. Today it is Sowore; tomorrow it could be any journalist, activist, or ordinary citizen who dares to question the government. If allowed, no voice is safe.”
He urged the SSS to retrace its steps and called on Nigerians to remain vigilant, emphasizing that freedom of expression is a constitutional right, not a gift from the government.
Earlier, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Sowore described the SSS demand that X deactivate his account within 24 hours as “a desecration of national dignity” and part of a broader effort by the Tinubu administration to silence him beyond Nigeria’s borders.
“I discovered a ridiculously crafted letter from the DSS to X, demanding that my account be deactivated within 24 hours. I won’t be surprised if the same has been extended to my Facebook page,” he stated.
Mr Sowore also alleged that state security operatives had falsely accused him of terrorism financing and cited previous harassment, including passport seizure and arrests linked to his activism.
SSS claims
PREMIUM TIMES reported earlier on Sunday how SSS wrote to X Corp, the owner of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), demanding the deletion of a tweet by Mr Sowore or face official repercussions.
Signed by B. Bamigboye, on behalf of the agency’s Director General, the letter accused Mr Sowore of publishing “misleading information, hate speech and content capable of inciting violence” via his verified handle, @YeleSowore.
The SSS (also known as DSS) cited a 25 August post in which Mr Sowore called President Tinubu a “criminal” and alleged dishonesty regarding corruption.
The agency warned that the post threatened national security and risked provoking unrest among the president’s supporters.
It referenced the Criminal Code Act, the Cybercrimes Act 2025, and the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 as legal grounds and threatened “far-reaching, sweeping and across-the-board measures” if X failed to comply.
X response
On Sunday, Mr Sowore said X notified him of the SSS request but had not acted on it.
He vowed not to delete the post, calling the SSS action “despicable” and “lawless.”
In its statement, X said it informs users when it receives legal requests from authorised entities to remove content.
The company advised Sowore to seek legal counsel or engage civil society groups if he wished to challenge the request and pointed him to its legal resources and transparency report.
Unending battles
Mr Sowore, a frenetic government critic, has faced arrests, detentions and prosecutions by the police and the SSS over the last six years over his anti-government protests and remarks.
Under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, he was arrested, detained for months and charged with treasonable felony over his #RevolutionNow protest.
He accused Mr Tinubu government of using security agencies to persecute him since the #EndBadGovernance protests last year.
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He recounted being placed on a no-entry list at airports, having his passport seized, being arrested, rearrested and injured by police officers and facing what he described as trumped-up charges, including an allegation of terrorism financing.
“First, during the #EndBadGovernance national protest, they ordered Immigration to place me on a no-entry list at all international airports,” he continued.
“Then, the illegal IGP had me arrested for calling him what he is. A Federal High Court judge was procured to seize my passport since February 2025. I was then rearrested recently, my cell was broken into by eight armed police officers who injured my right hand, and dragged again to court on trumped-up charges.”
