Omoyele Sowore Rejects DSS Demand to Withdraw Criticism of President Tinubu

• Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has rejected the Department of State Services’ (DSS) demand to retract a social media post criticizing President Bola Tinubu.

• In a letter to the DSS Director General, Sowore called the request unlawful and accused the agency of decades of rights abuses against him.

• He argued that freedom of speech protects citizens’ right to criticize leaders

Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has rejected a demand from the Department of State Services (DSS) to withdraw a social media post critical of President Bola Tinubu.

Sowore insisted the DSS had no authority to dictate how he expresses dissent. “You have no business telling me how to criticise the President. But, knowing the nature of your service, it is clear you have not learnt your lessons. Let me state it clearly once again: the determination of the Nigerian people to reclaim their country from thieves in power is unwavering. And it shall be achieved. Freedom cometh by struggle. Aluta continua, victoria ascerta,” he declared.

In a letter addressed to the DSS Director General, Sowore described the agency’s request as unlawful, unconstitutional, and an attempt to serve as a proxy for the president.

He accused the DSS of a long history of harassment, citing past arrests and detentions in 1993, 1996, and 2019, including his trial for alleged treason and money laundering, during which the service invaded a Federal High Court.

According to Sowore, the DSS has consistently acted “bullishly, illegally and unlawfully” under successive governments. He added that demanding a retraction on behalf of Tinubu was “fundamentally defective” and contrary to constitutional provisions.

“The DSS has dragged me through unscrupulous abuse and gross violations of rights for decades without remorse,” Sowore wrote, stressing that freedom of speech protects citizens’ right to criticize public officials.

He argued that defamation is a personal matter and cannot be pursued by the DSS, reaffirming that his activism is rooted in his political convictions. “The determination of Nigerians to reclaim their country from thieves in power remains unwavering,” he maintained.