Activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, has vowed not to delete a social media post about President Bola Tinubu, despite a formal request from the Department of State Services (DSS) to X (formerly Twitter) seeking its removal.
In a post on Sunday, Sowore revealed that he had been officially contacted by X regarding a letter from the DSS, which alleged that his tweet could “incite violence” and “threaten national security.”
“This morning, X officially contacted me about the despicable threat letter they received from the DSS over my tweet on Tinubu,” he wrote.
“One option I will not be taking is deleting that tweet. Thank you, X.”
Sowore also shared a notice from X confirming that the DSS demanded both the removal of the post and the deactivation of his verified account within 24 hours or face what the DSS described as “far-reaching measures” from the federal government.
However, X stated it had not taken any action on the content and reiterated its commitment to transparency whenever it receives legal takedown requests.
“As X strongly believes in defending and respecting the voice of our users, it is our policy to notify our users if we receive a legal request from an authorized entity (such as law enforcement or a government agency) to remove content from their account,” the platform said in the notice.
“We understand that receiving this type of notice can be an unsettling experience. 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.
“This may include seeking legal counsel and challenging the request in court, contacting relevant civil society organizations, voluntarily deleting the content (if applicable), or finding some other resolution.”
