Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has ordered an investigation into the conduct of its operatives after activist Omoyele Sowore was remanded in Kuje Prison following a scuffle at the Federal High Court in Abuja on 22 June 2026.
In a statement signed by Deputy Director Favour Dozie on 23 June, the DSS said the Director General had ordered an "immediate investigation into the alleged conduct of Service operatives involved in the incident."
Video of the hearing showed Sowore in an altercation with a custodial centre official and a brief scuffle with DSS personnel.
At the end of proceedings, he left in a DSS vehicle rather than a Correctional Service van.
The agency stressed that his remand was not its decision, adding that Sowore’s bail was revoked and he was remanded "entirely premised on court processes."
It said the Service neither arrested him nor opposed bail, which was initially granted on self-recognition without a surety.
The charges stem from an X and Facebook post Sowore made on 25 August 2025 in which he wrote: "This criminal actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE CORRUPTION in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly."
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The DSS said the post disparaged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR).
Rather than arrest him, the Service said it wrote to Sowore on 4 September 2025 demanding a retraction within one week, in line with the current DG’s preference for resolving such matters without force.
When no retraction was issued, the DSS filed charges under section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Amendment Act, 2024, in suit FHC/ABJ/CR/481/2025, seeking judicial interpretation of his right to "disparage and cyberbully the President."
The DSS pointed to other recent cases where it pursued legal redress instead of arrests, including matters involving Prof Pat Utomi’s "Shadow Government" and media reports on alleged invasions of the Lagos and National Assembly complexes.
In those instances, the agency said it withdrew charges after apologies or secured court judgments.
"We maintain our hygiene and adherence to rule of law. The Service would continue to prioritise professionalism, with emphasis on civility in its operations, even at the face of provocation," it said.
Sowore, a former presidential candidate and publisher of SaharaReporters, remains in Kuje Prison pending further court proceedings.
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