Yoruba union faults DSS over Sowore, accuses agency of misplaced priorities

The Yoruba Union, a socio-cultural organisation also known as Ìgbìnmó Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorùbá, has criticised the Department of State Services (DSS) for requesting that social media platform X deactivate the account of activist and journalist Omoyele Sowore.

In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its Convener, Olusola Badero, and Home Director, Princess Balogun, the Union described the move as a clear case of misplaced priority, arguing that the intelligence agency had failed in tackling terrorism and insecurity but had instead chosen to target voices calling for accountability in governance.

The group urged X to disregard the DSS request, stressing that Sowore posed no threat to national security. “It is laughable that a body that prides itself as an intelligence-gathering agency is chasing after Sowore’s account when bandits are openly uploading videos of their atrocities on TikTok, being celebrated online, and still going unchecked,” the statement read.

The Yoruba Union accused the DSS of reducing itself to “an errand body” for politicians rather than operating as an independent security institution. It further likened President Bola Tinubu’s administration to the repressive style of former President Muhammadu Buhari, insisting that the civic space was being stifled.

Citing historical examples, the group questioned why Sowore’s criticism should be considered a national security threat when past leaders tolerated similar remarks. “Was the DSS asleep in 2011 when Tinubu himself described then-President Goodluck Jonathan as a drunk fisherman whose boat was about to capsize? Jonathan tolerated free speech and dissent. Why is Tinubu intolerant today?” it asked.

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The statement also condemned what it termed the “illegal clampdown” on Sowore’s financial assets, alleging that the freezing of his bank accounts by the police under the directive of the Inspector-General amounted to intimidation.

Reaffirming its stance, the Union said it would not allow the government to muzzle activists, journalists, or critics who speak truth to power. “Sowore’s voice, and indeed the voice of the Nigerian people, cannot and must not be silenced,” it stressed.

The Union further urged the DSS and the Federal Government to redirect their energy towards dismantling terrorist networks and addressing corruption, warning that journalists and civic activists were not the enemies of the state.

Calling on international human rights organisations to take note of what it described as Nigeria’s shrinking civic space, the Yoruba Union maintained that the attempt to criminalise activism would be resisted by Nigerians.

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