Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has formally written to billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, demanding the suspension of activist Omoyele Sowore’s X account over what it described as relentless attacks on President Bola Tinubu.
In a letter dated September 7, 2025, the secret police accused Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters and a former presidential candidate, of using X, formerly known as Twitter, to “undermine the authority of the Nigerian state” and “incite public disorder.” The DSS insisted that Sowore’s constant criticism of Tinubu’s administration represents “a threat to national security” and urged the platform to permanently deactivate his account.
The move has ignited a storm of controversy across Nigeria. Rights groups and political commentators slammed the DSS for what they see as a dangerous attempt to silence dissent through foreign intervention. Critics argue that appealing directly to Musk, who owns the social media giant, sets a troubling precedent that undermines freedom of expression in Africa’s largest democracy.
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Sowore, a long-standing critic of successive Nigerian governments, has frequently accused Tinubu of corruption, poor governance, and complicity in worsening insecurity. He responded defiantly to the DSS request, vowing to continue speaking out and insisting that Nigerians cannot be denied their constitutional right to hold leaders accountable.
As of press time, neither Musk nor X has issued an official response to the DSS petition. However, the development has sparked intense debate online, with hashtags surrounding Sowore, Tinubu, and Elon Musk already trending, making the clash between Nigeria’s state security agency and the outspoken activist one of the most explosive free speech battles of the year.
