Omoyele Sowore isn’t backing down. Not this time.
By: Akinde S. Oluwaseun
He’s got a tweet up. One that doesn’t hold back on President Bola Tinubu. And no—despite what the DSS wants—he’s not deleting it. Doesn’t matter if they sent a letter. Doesn’t matter if X got involved. That post stays.
Here’s how it went down. Sunday morning. Sowore wakes up, checks his phone. Message from X—yes, the X, formerly Twitter. They’re telling him: Hey, we got a legal request. From Nigeria’s secret police. The DSS. They want your tweet gone.
Not a warning. Not a suggestion. A formal demand. Claiming the post “disparages” the president. And—get this—threatens national security.
Sowore read it. Laughed, probably. Then typed a reply:
“One option I will NOT be taking is deleting that Tweet.”
Short. Sharp. Defiant.
He posted the whole exchange too. The DSS had gone straight to the platform. Tried to pull strings behind the scenes. But X, for once, did the right thing—they told him. Transparency, they called it. Said they believe in the “voice of users.” Gave him the chance to fight back.
And fight back he did.
Because this isn’t new for Sowore. He’s been here before. Arrested in 2019. Locked up for months over the “RevolutionNow” protests. Charged with treason. Dragged through courts. All for speaking up. The DSS came for him then. Same agency. Same playbook.
He’s a journalist. A publisher—Sahara Reporters, the one that never blinks. Ran for president twice. Lost. But kept talking. Kept pushing. Because that’s what he does.
Now they’re at it again. Trying to silence a tweet.
But here’s the thing—Sowore doesn’t see this as just about him. It’s about all of us. About what happens when you criticise the president online. When the state says, that’s enough. When “national security” becomes a catch-all excuse to shut people up.
The DSS claims the post breaks Nigerian law. But which law? And who decides? Since when is calling out power a crime?
X hasn’t taken the tweet down. Not yet. They’re waiting. Watching. Letting Sowore decide his next move. He could delete it. He could fight. He could go to court. Or—he could just leave it there. As a middle finger. As a statement.
And honestly? That might be enough.
Because this moment isn’t just about a single tweet. It’s about space. Digital space. The right to say what you think—even if the president doesn’t like it. Even if the spies in Abuja get uncomfortable.
Sowore knows the risks. He’s been jailed. Harassed. Watched. Still here. Still posting.
So no. He won’t delete it.
And maybe—just maybe—that’s the most powerful part.
