DSS Directs Counsel to Suspend Sowore’s Cybercrime Prosecution Until After 2027 Election

The Department of State Services (DSS) has instructed its counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, to delay the cybercrime lawsuit against African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore until after the 2027 election, scheduled for January 16, 2027. The DSS argued that Sowore's August 25, 2025 posts on X and Facebook, which accused President Bola Tinubu of being a "criminal," constituted cyber-bullying.

The secret police also directed that cases involving other candidates should be reviewed similarly. The case, initiated to establish a judicial interpretation on the legality of referring to a president or any individual as a criminal, drew parallels to the DSS's earlier legal action against Professor Pat Utomi's "Shadow Government" proposal.

The DSS had initially given Sowore seven days to remove the offending posts, but he refused, leading to court intervention by the DSS on September 16, 2025. A source close to the DSS disclosed that the agency's Director-General, Mr. Tosin Ajayi, met with senior legal officials shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lifted the campaign ban on August 20 to consider pausing the case, allowing Sowore ample time to run for the upcoming election.

The DSS's stance on suspending the case was anticipated to be formally communicated to the Federal High Court on September 14, 2026, when the court resumes its regular sessions after the annual judicial vacation.