A former presidential candidate and Sahara Reporters’ publisher, Omoyele Sowore, has criticised the Federal Government after the Department of State Services (DSS) requested Meta, the parent company of Facebook, to deactivate his account over a post critical of President Bola Tinubu.

The DSS had earlier written to X, giving the platform 24 hours to remove a tweet in which Sowore described Tinubu as a criminal. Sowore refused to delete the post, prompting the agency to extend the sanction request to Facebook on Monday.

In a letter dated September 7, 2025, signed by Uwem Davies on behalf of the DSS Director General, the agency referenced Sowore’s post from August 26, in which he criticised Tinubu’s comments during a visit to Brazil and accused the president of lying about corruption.

The letter accused Sowore of spreading “misleading information” and engaging in “hate speech,” and demanded “immediate and urgent ban/deactivation of a Facebook account owned by Omoyele Sowore through his Facebook page or any other account maintained by him.”

It cited legal provisions including Section 51 of the Criminal Code Act, Sections 19, 22, and 24 of the Cyber Crimes Act 2025, and the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 to justify the demand.

The DSS warned of “far-reaching, sweeping measures” if Meta failed to comply within 24 hours, a deadline set to expire on September 8, 2025.

Reacting, Sowore described the DSS as “lawless” and “incompetent,” questioning the agency’s priorities in light of the killing of over 130 citizens in a recent incident.

“Too idle and incompetent to secure Nigeria… has now written to @facebook, begging them to delete content they find ‘offensive’ to their equally idle, tired, and criminal Commander-in-Chief,” Sowore wrote on his X account.