WYSN Condemns DSS Attempt to Silence Sowore and Attack Freedom of Expression
Workers and Youth Solidarity Network (WYSN):
Press Statement
8 September,2025
WYSN Condemns DSS Attempt to Silence Sowore and Attack Free Expression
The Workers and Youth Solidarity Network (WYSN) condemns in the strongest terms the reported move by the Department of State Services (DSS) to pressure X (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook)into deleting a post by activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore, critical of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The DSS has also gone ahead to give Sowore a seven-day Ultimatum to delete the post.
The agency warned that failure to comply with its demands would force it to “explore all lawful means” to protect national security and public order. They also went further to say that
“These statements are to say the least, capable of causing insurrection, as they are odious, repugnant, derogatory, and uncomplimentary towards a person occupying the highest office of this country.”
To us in the WYSN it is the it the DSS that is inviting anarchy to the country mass kidnapping and killings, banditry and wanton destruction of villages are going on across the country but the DSS wants to single out Omoyele Sowore post on Tinubu.
This action is nothing short of a blatant attempt to silence dissent, criminalize free expression, and intimidate a prominent voice of resistance against corruption, misrule, and authoritarian governance in Nigeria. Sowore has been a consistent advocate for democracy, accountability, and the rights of the oppressed, and targeting him represents an attack on the wider democratic space in our country.
Nigeria’s constitution guarantees the right to freedom of expression and press freedom. Any effort by the DSS or any arm of government to gag critics is illegal, undemocratic, and a dangerous throwback to military-era repression. A government that claims legitimacy should respond to criticism with facts and policies—not censorship, harassment, and persecution.
We demand that:
- The DSS immediately stop its witch-hunt and withdrawal of any requests to censor Sowore or any Nigerian citizen online.
- The Tinubu administration respects freedom of speech and stops weaponizing state institutions against dissenters.
- Civil society, labour unions, and progressive forces remain vigilant and united in resisting every attempt to shrink democratic rights.
The WYSN stands firmly with Omoyele Sowore and every Nigerian whose voice is being targeted for daring to speak truth to power. Silencing one voice today is an attempt to silence millions tomorrow.
We reaffirm: the struggle for justice, freedom, and dignity cannot be deleted.
Signed,
Iortyom Ushahemba Moses
Secretary
Workers and Youth Solidarity Network (WYSN)