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By Oscar Okhifo
The Department of State Services (DSS) has filed a five-count charge at the Federal High Court, Abuja, against publisher and activist Omoyele Sowore over alleged offensive comments made about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on social media.
According to the DSS, Sowore committed a series of “novel offences” by referring to the President as a criminal in posts shared on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
You’d recall that the secret police had earlier issued Sowore an ultimatum to delete the tweet in question, which both the activist and the tech giant ignored.
A private letter from the DSS to Sowore, as well as a personal chat between him and presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga urging him to take down the “offensive” remark, also failed to achieve compliance.
The DSS, in addition, copied X and Facebook in its correspondence, requesting that Sowore be sanctioned through account deactivation. However, the platforms are yet to comply with the request.
Reacting to the charges, Sowore dismissed them as baseless and politically motivated. “It’s hard to believe there’s anyone sensible left in these offices that should be making Nigeria work,” he said, while vowing to appear in court whenever the matter is assigned for trial.
Nigerians now await how the legal fireworks will play out, as the case is expected to test the boundaries of free speech and political dissent under the current administration.
Sowore, who is no stranger to controversy, has remained defiant under pressure.