The Department of State Services (DSS) has demanded that activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, retract a recent social media post in which he allegedly described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “a criminal.”

In a letter dated September 7, 2025, and signed by Uwem Davies on behalf of the DSS Director-General, the agency described Sowore’s comments on X (formerly Twitter) as “false, malicious, and capable of inciting public disorder, disunity, and insurrection.”

The DSS insisted that such statements not only undermine the office of the President but also damage Nigeria’s reputation before the international community.

The agency ordered Sowore to withdraw the post on the same platform, issue a public apology in two national newspapers and two television stations, and forward his compliance report within one week to the DSS headquarters in Abuja or via email. The letter was also copied to the United States Embassy in Nigeria, stressing that those aspiring to leadership positions must show integrity and responsibility in speech and conduct.

The DSS warned that failure to comply would attract further legal steps within the ambit of the law.

Meanwhile, political commentator Joe Igbokwe has weighed in on the controversy, describing Sowore’s remarks as “shameful and scurrilous.” In a lengthy note shared on social media, Igbokwe, who disclosed a personal history of friendship with Sowore and his family, expressed shock at the activist’s choice of words.

“I advised him to withdraw the shameful drivels and apologize to the President. PBAT (President Bola Ahmed Tinubu) is not his mate,” Igbokwe wrote, while praising Tinubu’s decades-long record as a senator, governor of Lagos State, and now Nigeria’s president.

Igbokwe further criticized Sowore’s activism, describing it as “acrimony and division,” urging him to “rethink and stop this walk on the streets that has become irrelevant and at best a non-event.”