Group demands activist’s arrest
Following X platform’s reluctance to delete a post flagged by the Department of State Services (DSS), the agency has asked activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, to retract what it described as a “false and malicious” social media post against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The DSS, in a letter dated September 7, 2025, by Uwem Davies, on behalf of the Director-General of the Services, issued a one-week ultimatum to Sowore.

The Services accused Sowore of referring to the President as a “criminal” in a post on August 26, 2025, where he allegedly mocked Tinubu’s statement in Brazil on corruption.

It said that the post was “repugnant, derogatory and capable of inciting public disturbance.”

The DSS warned that Sowore’s failure to comply with its demands would force it to “explore all lawful means” to protect national security and public order.

The letter also stated that Sowore must issue an unequivocal retraction on the same platform, publish apologies in at least two national dailies and two television stations, and send a representation to the DSS headquarters in Abuja or via email.

The DSS said Sowore’s comments had the potential to lower the President’s standing before Nigerians and the international community, adding that they could trigger disunity, insurrection, or a breakdown of law and order.

Sowore has however owed not to withdraw his criticisms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, insisting that he will continue to speak out against what he described as failures of governance.

Sowore, in a post shared on his verified social media handle, said no amount of time or political pressure would compel him to retract his statements, stressing that his position on Tinubu’s administration remains unchanged.

“Even if they give me from now till 2027, I will never retract my comments about Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Sowore declared.

Meanwhile, a group, the Leadership Centre for Civil and Post-Trauma Rehabilitation, has called on security agencies to arrest and prosecute Sowore over incessant attacks against Tinubu.

General Secretary of the group, Agbi Abubakar, while addressing journalists in Abuja, yesterday, accused Sowore of embarking on a campaign of defamation against the President, a development he described as satanic, unethical, immoral and politically blasphemous.

According to him, the orchestrated assaults on the President’s character, integrity, and tried antecedents have crossed the most intolerable red lines, constituting an ultimate act of political blasphemy.

The group alleged that Sowore had a history of targeting public officials, including ministers, the Inspector-General of Police, National Assembly leaders, and Catholic clergy, adding that his recent comments against Tinubu were ill-advised and unbecoming.