DSS to suspend Sowore cybercrime case till after 2027 election

The Department of State Services has directed its private counsel, Akinolu Kehinde, SAN, to take steps to suspend the alleged cyberbullying case instituted against the African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, until after the 2027 presidential election.

The development followed a meeting between the Director-General of the DSS, Tosin Ajayi, the senior lawyer and top officials of the agency’s legal directorate on August 20, according to a source close to the DSS counsel.

The meeting considered pausing the case to allow Sowore, who is expected to contest the presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027, to fully participate in the electoral process.

“The DSS boss reportedly told the Senior Advocate and his directorate of legal services that, with the commencement of presidential campaigns, it would only be fair to pause the court case in order to enable Sowore fully participate in the upcoming elections without let or hindrance,” the source said.

The source added that Ajayi told the lawyers that the case, having been in court for nearly a year, could be suspended for another four months without making much difference.

“The DSS boss told the lawyers that, since the matter had been in court for nearly a year, suspending it for another four months wouldn’t make much difference,” the source added.

The source said the DSS is expected to formally communicate its decision to suspend the case to the Federal High Court from September 14, 2026, when the court is scheduled to resume normal sittings after the annual judicial vacation.

The suspension, if granted, would effectively keep the case in abeyance during the ongoing presidential campaign and the 2027 election period.

Sowore had, on August 25, 2025, made the posts on his X handle and Facebook page.

Following Sowore’s posts, the DSS gave him seven days to delete them. He reportedly declined to comply with the directive.

The DSS had approached the Federal High Court seeking a judicial determination on whether Sowore’s social media posts referring to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” amounted to cyberbullying.

The secret police said the suit was intended to obtain judicial interpretation on the propriety of describing Tinubu or any other individual as a criminal without a court pronouncement.