By Palang Paul
The Department of State Services (DSS) has reportedly directed its legal team to seek a suspension of the alleged cybercrime case against African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, until after the 2027 presidential election.
The directive was reportedly issued after a meeting involving DSS Director-General, Tosin Ajayi, the agency’s lead counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, and senior officials of its legal directorate in Abuja on August 20, 2026.
According to a source familiar with the matter, the move is intended to ensure that Sowore can participate fully in the 2027 electioneering process without the ongoing court proceedings restricting his political activities.
The case stems from social media posts published by Sowore on his X account and Facebook page on August 25, 2025, in which he referred to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.”
Following the posts, the DSS reportedly gave Sowore seven days to remove them. After the deadline expired without the posts being deleted, the agency approached the Federal High Court in Abuja on September 16, 2025, seeking a judicial determination of whether it was lawful for an individual to publicly describe the President or another person as a criminal.
The DSS initially included X, formerly Twitter, and Meta, the parent company of Facebook, as parties to the suit. The Federal High Court later struck out the two technology companies from the case, leaving Sowore as the sole defendant.
Sowore has pleaded not guilty to the amended charges brought against him under the Cybercrimes Act 2024.
The activist has repeatedly rejected the prosecution’s case, describing it as politically motivated and an attempt to curtail his freedom of expression. He has also filed fundamental rights suits against the DSS and the technology companies.
A source close to the DSS legal team told Channels Television that Ajayi’s meeting with the agency’s lawyers followed the Independent National Electoral Commission’s commencement of the campaign period for the 2027 presidential election.
The source said the DSS Director-General directed the lawyers to consider pausing the proceedings, arguing that the case had already been before the court for almost a year and that a further suspension would not significantly affect the agency’s position.
“The DSS boss reportedly told the Senior Advocate and his directorate of legal services that, with the commencement of presidential campaigns, it would only be fair to pause the court case in order to enable Sowore fully participate in the upcoming elections without let or hindrance,” the source said.
The agency is also reportedly considering similar arrangements in cases involving other political candidates contesting elective positions.
The DSS had previously maintained that its case against Sowore was aimed at obtaining judicial clarification on whether describing the President or another individual as a “criminal” constituted an offence, rather than solely restricting Sowore’s political activities.
In a September 6, 2025 letter to Meta’s chairman, the DSS argued that its statutory responsibility to protect the President extends beyond physical security threats to what it described as psychological attacks.
The source said the DSS is expected to formally communicate its decision to the Federal High Court when the court resumes normal proceedings after its annual judicial vacation.
Sowore, who was previously granted bail by the Federal High Court on self-recognition, is expected to continue his political activities as preparations intensify ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The reported decision by the secret police to seek a pause in the case marks a significant development in a prosecution that has drawn attention to the boundaries between political expression, social media activity and Nigeria’s cybercrime laws.
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