SOWORE: DSS’ SUDDEN SUSPENSION OF CASE FURTHER CONFIRMS POLITICAL PERSECUTION — TAKE IT BACK MOVEMENT DEMANDS FREEDOM FOR ALL POLITICAL DETAINEES, REMOVAL OF DSS DG

SOWORE: DSS’ SUDDEN SUSPENSION OF CASE FURTHER CONFIRMS POLITICAL PERSECUTION — TAKE IT BACK MOVEMENT DEMANDS FREEDOM FOR ALL POLITICAL DETAINEES, REMOVAL OF DSS DG

August 30, 2026

The Take It Back Movement (TIB) has taken note of reports that the Department of State Services (DSS) has directed its counsel to seek the suspension of the cybercrime case against the Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, until after the 2027 presidential election.

According to reports published by PUNCH and SaharaReporters on Sunday, the directive followed a meeting between the Director-General of the DSS, Tosin Ajayi, senior counsel to the agency, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, and other senior officials of the DSS legal directorate. The reported justification is that the continuation of the case could interfere with Sowore’s participation in the 2027 electoral process.

While the Take It Back Movement welcomes any development that removes the threat of state persecution from Sowore and allows him to freely participate in the political process, we reject the attempt to present this development as an act of benevolence by the DSS.

It is, instead, a belated admission that the continued prosecution of Sowore has been deeply entangled with his political activities and that the DSS has been weaponised as an instrument of political repression.

For months, the Nigerian state has subjected Sowore to an oppressive legal process over his exercise of constitutionally protected freedom of expression. The DSS itself initiated the case over his social media posts in which he referred to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.” The agency subsequently pursued the matter through the courts, while Sowore maintained his position and refused to surrender his fundamental right to express his political opinions.

The same agency that insisted that the case was serious enough to prosecute and sought an accelerated hearing has now reportedly concluded that the case can simply be put on hold for the duration of the 2027 election period.

This raises a fundamental question: what has changed? Has the alleged offence disappeared? Or has the DSS finally realised that prosecuting the leading opposition voice in the country during an election period would expose the political character of the entire prosecution? The Take It Back Movement believes the answer is obvious.

This latest development further exposes the political character of the persecution of Omoyele Sowore and the weaponisation of state institutions against dissenting voices in Nigeria. The DSS is not a political party. It is not an electoral umpire. It is not a campaign organisation. It is a security agency established to protect the state and its citizens, not to determine which opposition politicians should be prosecuted, when they should be prosecuted, or when their prosecution should be suspended because elections are approaching.

If the agency now accepts that Sowore should be allowed to participate freely in the 2027 election, then the logical question is: why was he subjected to this prosecution in the first place?

The Take It Back Movement also finds it deeply troubling that the reported decision to suspend the case appears to have been made administratively within the DSS rather than as the result of a judicial determination on the merits of the allegations. A criminal prosecution is not a political switch that can be turned on and off depending on the electoral calendar.

If the DSS genuinely believes that Sowore committed a crime, it should present its evidence before a competent court and allow the judicial process to run its course. If it no longer considers the prosecution necessary, then it should have the courage to withdraw the case rather than merely park it until after the election.

We will not accept a situation where the state reserves the right to revive the case immediately after the election simply because Sowore has survived another electoral cycle.

The Take It Back Movement has consistently maintained that the DSS under successive regime has operated far beyond the legitimate boundaries of a democratic security institution, particularly in its treatment of political opponents, journalists, activists and critics of government.

The Take It Back Movement therefore uses this moment to renew its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all political detainees and prisoners of conscience being held by the Nigerian state and its security agencies.

If the government is genuinely committed to a free and fair 2027 election, then it must immediately end the persecution, arbitrary detention and prosecution of political opponents, activists and citizens whose only “crime” is their opposition to unfavourable government policies.

The freedom being discussed in relation to Sowore must not be limited to allowing one presidential candidate to campaign. Freedom must extend to every Nigerian who has been detained, prosecuted, harassed or persecuted because of their political opinion, activism or criticism of government.

The Take It Back Movement therefore demands:

1. The immediate and unconditional release of all political detainees and prisoners of conscience across Nigeria.
2. The immediate withdrawal of all politically motivated charges against activists, opposition figures, journalists and citizens being prosecuted for exercising their constitutional rights to freedom of expression and peaceful dissent.
3. An end to the weaponisation of the DSS and other security agencies against opposition politicians, activists and critics of government.
4. The immediate withdrawal, rather than mere suspension, of the politically motivated case against Omoyele Sowore if the DSS has no legitimate basis to continue the prosecution.
5. The unconditional guarantee of Omoyele Sowore’s right to campaign, organise, speak, travel and participate fully in the 2027 presidential election without harassment, intimidation or interference from the security agencies.
6. The immediate removal of the Director-General of the DSS, Tosin Ajayi, from office.

TOSIN AJAYI MUST GO

The Take It Back Movement reiterates its call for the removal of DSS Director-General Tosin Ajayi.

The leadership of the DSS must be held accountable for the agency’s growing reputation as an instrument of political repression rather than an institution operating within the principles of democracy, constitutionalism and the rule of law.

The reported decision to suspend Sowore’s case does not erase the conduct of the agency over the past year. It does not erase the prosecution. It does not erase the arrests and detention of citizens. It does not erase the harassment of activists. And it certainly does not absolve those who have used state power to intimidate Nigerians who dare to challenge the government.

President Bola Tinubu and his government must understand that Nigerians are no longer willing to accept the old politics of intimidation, persecution and selective application of the law. The 2027 election must not be preceded by the arrest, detention, prosecution or intimidation of opposition figures. It must not be an election in which security agencies are turned into political weapons.

It must not be an election in which government critics are threatened while supporters of the ruling establishment enjoy the full protection of the state. And it must not be an election in which Nigerians are expected to believe that politically motivated prosecutions are suddenly legitimate until the campaign season begins and then conveniently become unnecessary.

Nigeria belongs to all of us, not to the DSS, not to the APC and not to any individual or political office holder.

The Take It Back Movement will continue to resist every attempt to use state institutions to suppress democratic opposition and popular dissent.

We will continue to demand justice for every political detainee. We will continue to defend the right of Nigerians to criticise those in power. We will continue to mobilize for good governance, for a just, fair, and equitable society. And we will continue to insist that the 2027 elections must be free, fair, transparent and conducted without the intimidation or persecution of opposition candidates.

Signed:

Juwon Sanyaolu
National Coordinator
Take It Back Movement