Category: News

Sowore disclosed this in a post on his X account on Sunday morning, revealing that the social media platform had formally contacted him about the DSS request.

Sowore, a human rights activist, journalist, and publisher of Sahara Reporters, is known for his outspoken criticism of successive Nigerian governments and advocacy for good governance.

He contested the 2019 and 2023 presidential elections under the African Action Congress and has been at the forefront of several pro-democracy campaigns.

Recall that DSS had written to X Corp., demanding the immediate takedown of Sowore’s post, claiming it disparaged Tinubu and posed a threat to national security.

Vowing not to play to the DSS’ gallery, 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, @X,” Sowore wrote.

He also shared the message sent to him by X, which confirmed that the platform had received a legal request from the Nigerian secret police concerning his post.

The message read, “Hello @YeleSowore. In the interest of transparency, we are writing to inform you that X has received a request from the Department of State Services regarding your X account, @YeleSowore, that claims the following content violates the law(s) of Nigeria. @YeleSowore, we have not taken any action on the reported content at this time as a result of this request.

“As X strongly believes in defending and respecting the voice of our users, it is our policy to notify our users if we receive a legal request from an authorised entity (such as law enforcement or a government agency) to remove content from their account. We provide notice whether or not the user lives in the country where the request originated. This page provides more information: https://help.x.com/en/rules-and-policies/defending-and-respecting-our-users-voice

“We understand that receiving this type of notice can be an unsettling experience. While X is not able to provide legal advice, we want you to have an opportunity to evaluate the request and, if you wish, take appropriate action to protect your interests.

“This may include seeking legal counsel and challenging the request in court, contacting relevant civil society organisations, voluntarily deleting the content (if applicable), or finding some other resolution. For more information on legal requests X receives from governments worldwide, please refer to this article on our Help Centre and our biannual Transparency Report: https://help.x.com/en/rules-and-policies/x-legal-faqs https://transparency.x.com.”

The DSS, Nigeria’s domestic intelligence agency, has in the past been accused by rights groups of targeting dissenting voices and clamping down on free expression. Sowore himself was arrested by the DSS in 2019 over his “RevolutionNow” protest movement and was detained for several months despite court orders granting him bail.

X (formerly Twitter) has a stated policy of notifying users when it receives legal demands from governments requesting the takedown of content. The platform has also faced pressure in Nigeria before — most notably during the 2021 Twitter ban by the Federal Government, which accused the company of undermining national security after it deleted a tweet by then-President Muhammadu Buhari.

Sowore’s latest confrontation with the DSS highlights the ongoing tension between government authorities and citizens’ digital rights, particularly regarding criticism of public officials online.

His insistence on keeping the tweet online could spark renewed public debate on freedom of speech, government surveillance, and the limits of dissent in Nigeria’s democracy. Punch

On August 25, Sowore, through his verified X account @YeleSowore, shared a video of Tinubu during a state visit to Brazil, and criticised the President’s comment that corruption is no more in Nigeria.

The former presidential candidate posted, “This criminal @officialABAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”

In a letter dated September 6 and signed by B. Bamigboye on behalf of the Director-General, State Services, the DSS described the post as false, online harassment and a willful attempt to further an ideology.

The intelligence agency told X Corp the tweet is directed at the President through his official known X handle @officialABAT.

It warned that the publication could provoke unrest among some Nigerians, including supporters of the President.

The letter reads, “The said tweet is still in circulation and has attracted widespread condemnation by majority of Nigerians, some of whom may resort to unwholesome activities to vent their grievance over it, especially supporters of the President who have started taking to the streets in protest, thereby creating political tension and threatening the country’s national security.

“This is in addition to the disparaging effect the tweet has on the reputation of Mr. President and the country before the comity of nations.

“The tweet under reference is against the transparency on X and government has frowned at it and found it extremely dangerous, false, privacy violation behaviour that manipulate and negatively impacts on the person of the President and the country.”

The DSS cited several Nigerian laws it said the post violated, including Section 51 of the Criminal Code Act, provisions of the Cyber Crimes Act 2025 and Section 2(3) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

It said the post contravenes “Sections 19,22 and 24 of the Cyber Crimes Act 2025 which prohibits and makes it an offence to spread fake news or publishing content, especially with the intent to embarrass or humiliate others, provoke ethnic, religious, or tribal hatred through online or offline statements; amounting to domestic terrorism.”

It added, “It is not in doubt that the words employed by Mr. Omoyele Sowore is misleading information, online harassment and abuse, willful intention of furthering an ideology capable of serious harm, hate speech, cause disunity, discredit/disparage the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria within the Comity of Nations to damage the image of Nigeria and cause serious threat to national security of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The agency asked X Corp. to take the tweet and related re-tweets down within 24 hours.

“It is against the above highlighted backdrop that we make an immediate and urgent demand on your corporation to as a matter of its own policy, immediately take down the tweet and its attendant re-tweets,” it added.

DSS that should X “fail to comply with the command, the Federal Government will be compelled to take far-reaching, sweeping and across-the-board measures.”

Recall that in June 2021, the Federal Government under late President Muhammadu Buhari suspended X’s (known then as Twitter) operations indefinitely in Nigeria.

That was after the platform deleted and temporarily suspended Buhari’s account but Abuja framed it as undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

Twitter remained banned in the country until January 13, 2022. Punch

…I’ll clear my name – Ogundele

…Disregard his theatrics and crocodile tears – Enugu State Gov’t 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared a Lagos-based businessman, Olasijibomi Ogundele, wanted over alleged diversion of funds and money laundering.

This is also as the Enugu State Government has accused the CEO of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, Olasijibomi Ogundele, of defrauding the state of nearly N6bn, noting that Ogundele vanished into thin air after he was paid the said sum for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools in different parts of the state.

In a wanted notice signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, and posted on its official X handle on Friday, the Commission appealed to members of the public with credible information about Ogundele’s whereabouts to come forward.

The notice read, “The public is hereby notified that Olasijibomi Ogundele of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, whose photograph appears above, is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in an alleged case of diversion of funds and money laundering.

“Ogundele is a 44-year-old indigene of Ori-Ade Local Government Area of Osun State. His last known address is: G29, Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos State.

“Anybody with useful information as to his whereabouts should please contact the Commission in its Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt or Abuja offices, or through 08093322644; its e-mail address: info@efcc.gov.ng, or the nearest Police Station and other security agencies.”

Sujimoto speaks after accusation of fraud

Olasijibomi Ogundele, a Lagos-based businessman, has reacted to the decision of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to declare him wanted over alleged “diversion of funds and money laundering”.

In a video posted on social media, Ogundele, popularly known as Sujimoto, said he is neither a thief nor fugitive.

The CEO attributed his case with the anti-graft agency to a project involving his company and the Enugu state government.

“I’m not a thief and fugitive. This is a contract between my company and the Enugu state government,” he said.

“The Enugu state government asked me to help them build a couple of projects, which were very interesting.

“I was going to the state every week. In the middle of the project, the governor said he wanted to build a city and the tallest building in Nigeria — a 69-storey building.”

He said the Enugu government also asked his company to build some schools in the state and that amid the project, the cost of building materials kept escalating due to inflationary trend.

Ogundele added that while his company was executing the school project, the relationship between the firm and the state government turned sour.

In between sobs, the businessman lamented the state of the economy and how prices of building materials kept soaring.

“When we took the contract, a bag of cement was N7,000 per bag. At the time we left, cement was N10,000. I faced a lot of people. Sometimes in the villages, my staff were shot at. Some people would bring guns and shoot at them… I was still there,” he said.

“Things went sour between myself and the government. If I had money, I would have continued the project. But I had other projects.

“They (Enugu state government) took me to court. We told the court that we don’t want to fight with the government.

“We asked how much we owed the government. I was in agreement with them. Now, they have declared me wanted. They destroyed my company. I’m going to the EFCC office to clear my name.”

How Sujimoto CEO, Ogundele, Defrauded Enugu State Government of N5.7bn – Official

…Accuses him of premeditated fraud

Stating that Ogundele defrauded the state of nearly N6bn, the Enugu State Government also accused Ogundele of premeditated fraud, explaining that while he presented a bond issued by Jaiz Bank to secure the contract, he used the company’s Zenith Bank account registered with the state’s Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to receive the said payment, making it impossible for the state to hold Jaiz Bank liable.

The clarifications were contained in a statement issued by the Enugu State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr. Malachy Agbo, on Friday.

The statement said, “For the avoidance of doubt, on July 2, 2024, the Enugu State Government awarded a contract in the sum of N11,457,930,950.52 to Sujimoto Luxury Construction Ltd for the construction of 22 Smart Schools (buildings only) in six months starting from the date of the acceptance of the award.

“The Enugu State Government paid the sum of N5,762,565,475.25, representing 50 per cent of the contract sum, in order to fast-track the projects at all the sites.

“Rather than play to the rules of the contract to deliver quality projects for furnishing and equipping ahead of September 2025 school resumption, in line with the priority placed on the Smart Green Schools initiative by the government, Mr. Ogundele resorted to shoddy jobs and the use of inexperienced workers and quack engineers. None of his sites met the structural integrity of the projects as specified in the structural drawing.

“Worse still, he vanished into thin air with the money. All efforts made by the government to get him to a roundtable to discuss the quality and progress of work proved abortive. He equally refused to attend the periodic projects briefing organised by the state government for all contractors or take numerous calls and messages put across to him. In fact, he practically abandoned the sites, leaving the Enugu State Government with no other choice than to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to recover the funds paid to him.

“A joint team of officers of the Enugu State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and the EFCC visited the 22 sites to evaluate the progress of work on May 8 and 9, 2025, where it was clearly established that there had been minimal to no significant work done at the said sites one year after the contract award. In some cases, he fraudulently did not do excavation for all the blocks in site.

“It is also on record that he has not shown up at the sites or made himself available to either the state government or the law enforcement agencies even after those site visits.

“It is also pertinent to state that it was discovered in the course of investigation that whereas he presented a bond from Jaiz Bank, he used Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited’s Zenith Bank account number 1312731196
to receive the said payment and draw down the fund without deploying it to the projects. This clearly shows a premeditated intent to defraud the state ab initio.

“The government has since retaken and handed over the sites to new firms, who has no choice than to start the construction afresh. Tremendous progress has been made to keep the determination of the Mbah Administration to migrate Enugu children to Smart Green Schools by September on track.

“Nigerians should therefore disregard his theatrics and crocodile tears, as Enugu State Government is determined to and will surely recover every penny of Ndi Enugu fraudulently obtained by Mr. Olasijibomi Ogundele (Sujimoto).”

The Enugu State Government’s statement was accompanied with pictures of the project sites as abandoned by Sujimoto, which were taken by the joint team of officials of the state and operatives of the EFCC during the May 8 and 9 site visits.

The pictures clearly showed that the project sites were mostly at the levels of foundation and DPC, with a few at the stage of block work.

This was disclosed on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, by the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Barr. Chief Ikeuwa Omebeh, while briefing journalists on the outcome of the 9th State Executive Council (EXCO) meeting held a day earlier under the chairmanship of Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru.

According to Omebeh, the state, being a shareholder in NLNG, is entitled to dividends that have accrued since January 1999 but remained unreconciled and unremitted.To this end, EXCO approved the engagement of TIARAS White Consult Limited to undertake a comprehensive review, reconciliation, and recovery of all amounts due to Ebonyi State. The consultancy firm will be entitled to a 15% commission on the total recovered funds”.

According to him, the consultancy fee, earlier pegged at 10% commission, was reviewed upward to 15% commission, to be deducted at source from recoveries.

“It is imperative to reconcile all outstanding entitlements and recover what is due to Ebonyi from 1999 to date. TIARAS White Consult Limited has been mandated to carry out this exercise,” Omebe stated.

He further disclosed that in a move to strengthen healthcare delivery, the state executive council approved the construction of an ultra-modern clinic within the Ebonyi State Government House at a cost of ₦3.51 billion.

The facility is envisioned as a state-of-the-art center that will serve both as an emergency unit for government officials and as a model health facility showcasing modern medical technologies.

He added that the government will acquire the Pentecost Foundation Hospital, Ezzamgbo, along with its equipment and staff, at the sum of ₦250 million, further expanding access to healthcare in the state. Businessday

El-Rufai was summoned by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of criminal investigation, Zubairu Abdullahi, alongside key members of the Kaduna State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

In the invitation letter, El-Rufai and the other ADC leaders, including the North West Chairman of the Party, Ja’afaru Sani, were invited by the police for questioning over alleged criminal conspiracy, incitement of public disturbance, and mischief.

“This Department is currently investigating the above-mentioned case involving the following members of your party. You are requested to come along with them to SCID to clarify allegations reported against them by the complainants on 8th September, 2025,” the letter read partly.

They are, ” Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Bashir Saidu, Ja’afaru Sani, Ubaidullah Mohammed, aka Mikiya 30, Nasiru Maikano, Aminu Abita, and Ahmed Rufa’i Hussaini, aka Mikiya “.

However, the ADC members said they have not been served with the police invitation and have only read about it on social media.

On Saturday, suspected thugs disrupted the inauguration of the transition committee members of a coalition of opposition parties under the ADC in Kaduna State.

The assailants, armed with cutlasses, clubs, and stones, attacked participants and vandalised properties.

The coalition encompasses people from an All Progressives Congress (APC) faction opposed to the state leadership, alongside the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Labour Party (LP), and the ADC.

Despite the incident, the inauguration continued under tense conditions. The Kaduna State Police Command, however, blamed El-Rufai for the incident.

Its spokesperson, DSP Mansir Hassan, said the former governor failed to notify the police and other security agencies about the meeting, despite repeated warnings. Channels TV

According to a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the leave will last ten working days.

During the period, Tinubu is expected to spend time in both France and the United Kingdom before returning to Nigeria.

The trip, described as a working vacation, comes as part of the President’s annual schedule. The State House noted that Tinubu will use the time to rest while also attending to official matters abroad.

This marks the President’s first annual leave in 2025, with the presidency assuring that governance will continue smoothly in his absence.