Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has vowed not to delete a controversial tweet critical of President Bola Tinubu, despite a formal request from the Department of State Services (DSS) to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) demanding its removal.
Sowore, who contested the 2023 presidential election, disclosed in a post on Sunday that X had officially contacted him regarding the DSS petition.
“This morning, X (formerly Twitter) officially contacted me about the despicable threat letter they received from the lawless DSS over my Tweet on Tinubu. One option I will NOT be taking is deleting that Tweet. Thank you, @X,” Sowore wrote.
He also shared the message sent to him by X, which confirmed that the company had received a legal request from the Nigerian secret police concerning his post.
The message from X read in part:
“We have received a request from the Department of State Services regarding your X account, @YeleSowore, that claims the following content violates the law(s) of Nigeria… We have not taken any action on the reported content at this time as a result of this request.”
The platform further explained that, in line with its policy of transparency, it notifies users whenever it receives a legal request to remove content, regardless of whether the user lives in the country where the request originated.
The DSS had earlier written to X demanding the “immediate takedown” of Sowore’s post, which it said “disparaged Tinubu” and was “capable of inciting violence and threatening national security.” The agency threatened “far-reaching, sweeping measures” if the platform failed to act.
Sowore, a journalist and pro-democracy campaigner known for his outspoken criticism of successive Nigerian governments, has remained defiant, insisting that he will not bow to intimidation.
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