Human rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, has vowed not to delete a tweet in which he described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal,” despite pressure from the State Security Service to have his account suspended.

Mr Sowore disclosed on Sunday morning that X (formerly Twitter) notified him of a request by the State Security Service (SSS) to take down his post.

“This morning, X 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,” Mr Sowore wrote on Facebook.

In the email sent to the activist and seen by Peoples Gazette, X said the SSS alleged that his August 25 post violated Nigerian laws. The post in question accused Mr Tinubu of lying during a state visit to Brazil.

“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!” Mr Sowore had tweeted.

The platform, however, clarified that it had not acted on the government’s request, citing its policy of defending users’ freedom of expression.

“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,” the email read.

The Gazette had earlier reported that the SSS, in a letter dated September 6 and signed by B. Bamigboye for the Director-General, asked X’s owner Elon Musk to ban and deactivate Mr Sowore’s account within 24 hours. The Nigerian secret police accused him of spreading “misleading information” and engaging in activities capable of “incitement to violence, cybercrime, hate speech, and disparagement of the President.”

Failure to comply, the secret police warned, would force Nigeria to take “far-reaching, sweeping and across-the-board measures” against the social media giant.

Reacting to the threat, Mr Sowore described the SSS letter as “a national disgrace” and “an assault on institutions and common sense.”

“The brazenness of this is not only unconstitutional…but a desecration of national dignity,” he wrote. “To export this disgrace to Twitter in the US shows how far Nigeria has sunk into the hands of its most incompetent and dysfunctional citizens.”

He vowed to continue his activism “with or without a Twitter account.”

This confrontation marks the latest in a long-running clash between Mr Sowore and the SSS.