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By Lizzy Chirkpi
The Department of State Services (DSS) has formally demanded that activist and journalist, Omoyele Sowore, retract a recent social media post in which he accused President Bola Tinubu of lying about corruption in Nigeria. But Sowore, in a fiery response, has rejected the demand, describing it as “unlawful, insidious and fundamentally defective.”
In a letter dated September 7, 2025, and addressed to Sowore’s residence in New Jersey, USA, the DSS referenced a post he made on X (formerly Twitter) on August 26, 2025, at 11:38 p.m., where he wrote:
“This criminal actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”
The agency claimed the statement was “false, malicious, and capable of inciting public disturbance, disunity and breakdown of law and order.” It also alleged that the post had “infuriated a good number of Nigerian citizens, particularly the President’s supporters who are already becoming restive.”
The letter, titled “DEMAND FOR RETRACTION OF CRIMINAL, FALSE AND MALICIOUS POST PUBLICATION,” warned that Sowore must:
1. Make an immediate retraction on the same platform and with equal prominence.
2. Publish a public apology in at least two national dailies and two television stations.
3. Send a representation to the DSS Headquarters within one week.
The DSS threatened that failure to comply would compel it to “initiate measures it deems most appropriate within the ambit of the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The letter further stressed that its contents were “classified” and that unauthorized disclosure could lead to prosecution. The authenticity of the letter, however, has not been officially confirmed by the DSS.
In a lengthy reply dated September 12, 2025, and addressed to the Director General of the DSS, Sowore dismissed the Service’s position, accusing it of overreach and unlawful interference in matters beyond its mandate.
“I acknowledge receipt of your letter, which you stealthily dumped with a security guard at the office of my attorneys in Abuja,” he wrote. “I find your horrendous attempt at holding an unwarranted brief for the President not only insidious but fundamentally defective, flawed in principle, and absolutely unlawful.”
He argued that defamation was a personal tort and that only President Tinubu himself, not the DSS, could sue if he felt defamed. He cited a 2021 judgment where Justice Obiora Egwuatu ruled that the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, could not sue for defamation by proxy.
“Therefore, your attempt to demand a retraction is an incompetent and unlawful attempt to hold the President’s brief,” Sowore stated.
The activist went further to recount a long history of alleged abuse, illegal detentions, and harassment by the DSS dating back to 1993 when he was student union president at the University of Lagos. He detailed his abductions in 1993 and 1996, as well as his 2019 arrest and prolonged detention under the Buhari administration, during which DSS operatives invaded a Federal High Court to rearrest him even after he had been granted bail.
“You and your ilk have dragged me through unscrupulous abuse and gross violations of rights for decades without remorse,” Sowore charged.
Quoting legal authorities and landmark judgments, including Arthur Nwankwo v. State (1985), Issa Konate v. Burkina Faso, and IGP v. ANPP, Sowore maintained that criminal defamation and sedition laws have no place in a democracy.
“Criticism is indispensable in a democracy. Freedom of speech includes the right to say what those in power find uncomfortable,” he wrote, adding: “Where boundaries are crossed, the remedy is civil libel, not unlawful repression.”
Sowore insisted that the DSS had no authority to dictate how he criticizes the president. “Let me state it clearly once again: the determination of the Nigerian people to reclaim their country from thieves in power is unwavering. And it shall be achieved. Freedom cometh by struggle. Aluta continua, victoria ascerta.”
History of Confrontation
Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has had a long history of confrontation with Nigerian authorities. He has previously been arrested and charged with treason, money laundering, and cybercrime all of which he dismissed as politically motivated.
At the time of filing this story, the DSS has not yet issued a public response to his rebuttal.