Fresh revelations have surfaced about how former Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo clashed with the Department of State Services (DSS) over the detention of activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore during the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
The account, contained in a new 198-page book of political reflections, recalls how in 2019 Osinbajo personally expressed frustration at the DSS’ refusal to release Sowore despite multiple court orders.
“Sometime in 2019, at the height of the detention of Omoyele Sowore by the Buhari government and the refusal of the DSS to obey court order for his release, I booked an appointment with the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. I was aware of the previous efforts made by VP Osinbajo to get the DSS obey the court order, which almost led to a face-off with the security agency,” the author recounted.
According to the account, Osinbajo reminded the DSS that he had a professional reputation beyond politics and would not be complicit in violating court rulings. The DSS reportedly responded with veiled references to the power struggle between Buhari and his deputy.
“The DSS had told him there could not be two presidents, a veiled reference to how Osinbajo, as Acting President in 2018, sacked Lawal Daura as DG of DSS,” the account stated.
Despite the tensions, Osinbajo persisted. The author noted that following renewed pressure from the then Vice President, Sowore was released on the same day of his intervention.
The revelations highlight the fraught relationship between security agencies and civilian oversight during Buhari’s presidency, raising questions about the limits of executive power and the rule of law in Nigeria.
The book also recalls other behind-the-scenes interventions by Osinbajo, including discreet efforts to secure bail for detained Shi’ite leader Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.
Scheduled for unveiling at an upcoming summit titled “A Handshake Across the Niger: The Yoruba/Igbo Detente”, the book compiles 20 chapters of the author’s political reflections and Facebook posts between 2017 and 2025.
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