Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has firmly rejected a demand from Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) to retract a social media post criticizing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In a strongly worded response, Sowore accused the agency of overstepping its mandate and attempting to suppress dissent.
“You have no business telling me how to criticise the President,” Sowore declared, adding,
“Freedom cometh by struggle. Aluta continua, victoria ascerta.”
The DSS had issued a letter dated September 7, 2025, demanding that Sowore withdraw what it described as a “false and malicious” post made on August 26, in which he referred to President Tinubu as a “criminal” following remarks the president made in Brazil about corruption in Nigeria.
The agency warned that failure to comply could lead to legal consequences and urged Sowore to publish apologies in national newspapers and television stations.
In his rebuttal, Sowore dismissed the DSS’s request as unconstitutional and an attempt to act as a proxy for the president.
He cited a history of alleged repression by the agency, including arrests in 1993, 1996, and 2019, and the controversial invasion of a Federal High Court during his trial.
“The DSS has dragged me through unscrupulous abuse and gross violations of rights for decades without remorse,” he wrote, arguing that freedom of expression is protected under Nigeria’s Constitution and international human rights treaties.
He emphasized that defamation is a civil matter and cannot be pursued by a state security agency on behalf of a public official.
Sowore’s refusal to retract his statements has reignited debates around free speech, political accountability, and the role of security agencies in democratic societies.
Civil rights groups and legal experts have weighed in, with some defending Sowore’s stance and others calling for restraint in political discourse.