The Department of State Services (DSS) has directed its private legal counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, to take steps to adjourned the case of alleged cyber-bullying it instituted against the Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) Omoyele Sowore, until after the 2027n presidential election slated for January 16.
The DSS had approached the court to determine if it was proper for Sowore to allegedly cyber-bully President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on August 25, 2025 in posts on his “X” handle and Facebook page in which he referred to the president as a “criminal”.
The Secret Service also instructed that, cases of contestants for other elective positions should also be reviewed accordingly.
The DSS stated that the Sowore matter was to seek judicial interpretation on the propriety of arbitrarily calling President Tinubu or any individual a criminal, same way it approached the court to rule on the legality of Professor Pat Utomi’s “Shadow Government”.
The Service, in a September 6, 2025, letter to the chairman of Meta Corp, stated that, aside from protecting the President from physical threats, it is also, by law, empowered to protect him from psychological attacks.
After Sowore’s posts, the DSS gave him seven days within which to pull them down, but after the expiration of the ultimatum, Sowore refused to pull down the posts, a development that led DSS to approach the court for adjudication, as against the old practice of inviting or arresting him.
A source close to the DSS lawyer, disclosed that the Director General, Mr. Tosin Ajayi and top officers of the legal Directorate of the Service, met with the senior lawyer on August 20, a day after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially lifted the ban on campaigns, to consider pausing the court case to enable Sowore fully exercise his right to contest the upcoming presidential election.
According to the source; “The DSS Director general reportedly told the Senior Advocate and his directorate of legal services that, with the commencement of presidential campaigns, it would only be fair to pause the court case in order to enable Sowore fully participate in the upcoming elections without let or hindrance.
“The DSS boss told the lawyers that, since the matter had been in court for nearly a year, suspending it for another four months wouldn’t make much difference,” the source said.
The source also said the position of the DSS on suspending the matter with Sowore is expected to be formally communicated to the Federal High Court on Monday, September 14, 2026, when the court is expected to resume normal sittings after returning from the annual judicial vacation.
