The Department of State Services (DSS), on Monday, September 2025, wrote to Meta Platforms Inc. demanding the immediate deactivation of the Facebook account of activist and politician, Omoyele Sowore over what it considered as disparaging content targeted at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This came less than 24 hours after the DSS wrote similar request to X (formerly Twitter), urging the Corporation to delete and ban Sowore’s account over what it noted as an offensive post against President Tinubu.
The DSS in a letter signed by Uwem Davies for the Director General of the Services, dated 7th September, 2025, and addressed to the Chairman and CEO of Meta at its Menlo Park headquarters in California, pointedly accused Sowore of publishing what it described as “misleading information and willful intention to further an ideology capable of serious harm, incitement to violence, cybercrime, hate speech to discredit/disparage the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and cause serious threat to national security.”
It particularly referenced a Facebook post by Sowore on August, 26, 2025, wherein he wrote: “This criminal @officialPBAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”
The DSS noted that the post which is still in circulation, had “attracted widespread condemnation by majority of Nigerians” and was generating both online and offline tension across the country.
The Secret police emphasised that the scathing remarks by Sowore had a “disparaging effect on the reputation of Mr. President and the country before the comity of nations.”
While citing Section 51 of the Criminal Code Act, Sections 19, 22 and 24 of the Cyber Crimes Act 2025, and Section 2(3) of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022, the DSS noted that Sowore’s post constituted criminal offences punishable under the Nigerian law.
According to the DSS; “Both the offender and the medium hosting the content could be held liable. 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,” it so directed and warned.
The DSS warned that anything short of an outright ban of Sowore’s Facebook page would amount to enabling “domestic terrorism.”
The DSS had on Sunday, September 7, 2025, also wrote to X (formerly Twitter) and demanded the immediate suspension of Sowore’s handle @YeleSowore.
