*Secret Police Lacks Constitutional Right To Censor Nigerians Or Procure Same Via Platforms -Lawyer
*Tomekun Urges X To Disregard DSS’ Letter, Not Aid, Abet State Repression
By our reporter
Tope Tomekun, lawyer to activist and 2023 presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, today disclosed that US-based social media platform, X.com, has notified his client (Sowore) of the request by Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) that the firm should deactivate the activist’s tweet against President Bola Tinubu.
Sowore himself has vowed never to delete the alleged offensive post.
On his social media platform, he wrote: “This morning, X (formerly Twitter) officially contacted me about the despicable threat letter they received from the lawless DSS over my Tweet on Tinubu. One option I will NOT be taking is deleting that Tweet. Thank you.”
The said tweet described as false Tinubu’s speech during his Brazil visit that his administration had eliminated corruption in Nigeria.
Reacting swiftly to that, DSS fired a letter to X.com demanding that the tweet be pulled down within 24 hours as, according to DSS, it disparaged Tinubu’s person and violated some crime laws in the country, with the secret police hinting that X.com will be joined in any further action it (DSS) will take on the vexed matter because the platform was the avenue through which the alleged crime was committed.
In a statement, Tomekun wrote: “We have been put in possession of the notice from X (formerly Twitter) informing Omoyele Sowore that the Department of State Services (DSS) wrote to the platform requesting the removal of one of his posts concerning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“This unlawful act by the DSS is not just an attack on Sowore, but on the democratic rights of every Nigerian.
“We have rejected this censorship request in writing to X and have formally demanded that the DSS desist from this unconstitutional conduct.
“We wish to add in categorical language that the DSS has no constitutional or statutory power to censor citizens or procure their censorship through private platforms.
“The 1999 Constitution (Section 39) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights guarantee freedom of expression, and only a competent court of law can order restrictions on speech.
“Should they insist or persist, we will take all necessary legal steps to protect constitutional rights and defend the freedom of expression guaranteed to all Nigerians.”
Tomekun of Lagos-based law firm, Tope Tomekun Chambers, urged X to disregard the DSS letter because giving importance to the letter would amount to “aiding and abetting state repression in violation of binding human rights and obligations.”
PHOTO CAPTION: Sowore (left).
