Omoyele Sowore has rejected pressure from Nigeria’s secret police to delete a tweet calling President Bola Tinubu a “criminal,” vowing to continue his activism despite threats.
Human rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, has vowed not to delete a tweet in which he accused President Bola Tinubu of lying about corruption during a state visit to Brazil, despite pressure from Nigeria’s State Security Service (SSS).
Mr Sowore revealed on Sunday that X (formerly Twitter) notified him of a request from the SSS to take down his post. “This morning, X 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,” he wrote on Facebook.
The post in question, published on August 25, read: “This criminal @officialABAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”
In its email to Mr Sowore, X clarified it had not acted on the government’s request, saying: “While X is not able to provide legal advice, we want you to have an opportunity to evaluate the request and, if you wish, take appropriate action to protect your interests.”
The Gazette reported that in a letter dated September 6, the SSS asked X owner Elon Musk to deactivate Mr Sowore’s account within 24 hours, accusing him of spreading “misleading information” and engaging in “hate speech.”
Reacting, Mr Sowore described the move as “a national disgrace” and vowed to continue his activism “with or without a Twitter account.”
This marks the latest clash between Sowore and Nigeria’s secret police.
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