 |
| Omoyele Sowore |
On Friday, October 30, 2026, Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate for 2027, human rights activist, and publisher of Sahara Reporters, was attacked along with members of his team at a restaurant in the Dalimore area of Ado-Ekiti.
What began as reports of an alleged abduction quickly evolved into a sharp public dispute over the nature of the violence, the identity of the perpetrators, and the role of state security agencies.
Sowore alleged that the attackers were known political thugs linked to the Ekiti State Government House who received tracking and operational support from Department of State Services (DSS) operatives. He further accused Ekiti State Commissioner of Police Falade Adegoroye Michael of deliberately downplaying a coordinated assault as a mere “altercation” and describing the injuries as “minor,” despite personally visiting the victims while they received emergency medical care.
The incident occurred shortly after Sowore completed a radio interview at MIDAS FM 90.5.
According to his account, harassment had begun the previous day upon his arrival in the state. DSS operatives, he claimed, trailed his team, intimidated service providers, and threatened the manager of a restaurant where they had eaten, warning against allowing them to return. “This is the level of infamy to which Nigeria has been subjected! Those who brutally attacked us in Ado-Ekiti today came from the Government House. They are well known, and they were provided with tracking and operational support by the DSS,” Sowore posted. He later added that the thugs descended on the group “allegedly with the assistance of the DSS.”
Photos shared by Sowore showed him and at least one associate with bandaged injuries—visible wounds to the hand, knee, and other areas—while receiving treatment, reportedly at the Police Hospital in Ado-Ekiti. Initial social media posts from his accounts described an abduction by armed thugs and stated that his whereabouts were unknown, sparking widespread concern. Police later confirmed an incident but rejected the kidnapping narrative.
 |
| Sowore with bandages |
In a statement by Police Public Relations Officer SP Sunday Abutu, the Ekiti State Police Command said Sowore was involved in an “altercation with some individuals” at a restaurant. Officers responded to a distress call, rescued him, and noted that he sustained “minor” injuries. Commissioner of Police Michael Falade ordered a discreet investigation to determine the circumstances, identify those involved, and ensure accountability. The command urged the public to disregard unverified claims of abduction that could cause panic.
Sowore rejected this framing outright. In a subsequent post accompanied by video, he stated that the commissioner had personally observed the “extensive injuries” yet issued what he called a “despicable statement.” “THERE WAS NO ALTERCATION! WE WERE ATTACKED!” he wrote, adding that allegations had emerged of the commissioner’s own involvement. He later claimed that police and DSS operatives had seized CCTV footage from the restaurant owner, which he said captured the attackers, and were attempting to suppress the evidence.
The Sowore/Magashi Presidential Election Campaign, through spokesperson Abdulkareem Musa, earlier raised the alarm, describing the events as a serious security concern. It called on the Nigeria Police Force, DSS, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and other authorities for an immediate security assessment, protective measures, and thorough investigation. “Politics and elections are not warfare.
No political actor or party has the right to engage violence, intimidation or attacks on citizens exercising their democratic rights,” the statement said, warning that any harm to Sowore or his team would be unacceptable. Activist lawyer Deji Adeyanju also condemned the incident, noting reports that a police officer attached to Sowore had been disarmed.
Neither the Ekiti State Government nor the DSS had issued an official response to Sowore’s specific allegations of sponsorship and operational support at the time of reporting. The restaurant has been identified in some accounts as Tawakalitu (or Tawakal’tu) Restaurants and Catering Services. Reports mentioned damage to property and vehicles.
Context: A Visit Tied to Politics and a Marathon
Sowore arrived in Ekiti on Thursday for political engagements with AAC supporters and to participate in the Ikogosi Marathon scheduled for Saturday, October 31. The 17.5 km race from Ilawe-Ekiti Roundabout to the Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort has grown significantly, attracting a record approximately 13,700 registrants in 2026, including international athletes from Kenya and Ethiopia, with substantial prize money and strong state government backing as a vehicle for youth empowerment, tourism, and local economic activity.
Sowore had posted images of himself engaging with residents and party faithful while preparing for the event.
The timing coincides with heightened political activity. The previous day, Governor Biodun Oyebanji had spoken strongly in support of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid at a rally of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, declaring that anyone opposing Tinubu’s re-election was an “enemy of Nigeria” and emphasizing the need for overwhelming victory margins. Oyebanji’s administration has repeatedly stressed its commitment to peace and rejected links to political violence in past statements, particularly around the 2026 governorship contest.
 |
| Sowore |
Broader Pattern and Historical Backdrop
This episode fits into a longer pattern for Sowore, a perennial critic of successive Nigerian governments. He has previously alleged surveillance, harassment, and physical confrontations involving security agencies, including a recent fundamental rights suit seeking ₦5 billion in damages against the DSS Director-General and others over an alleged assault and abduction inside a Federal High Court in Abuja in June 2026.
Nigeria’s political landscape has long been marked by the use of non-state actors, often described as political thugs, especially in periods leading up to elections. Opposition figures, particularly those outside the dominant parties, frequently report intimidation, restricted access, and violence. The 2027 presidential race is still in its early stages, but early mobilization, strong rhetoric from incumbents, and incidents like this raise questions about the space available for dissenting voices and smaller parties such as the AAC.
The conflicting narratives—coordinated state-backed attack versus spontaneous altercation—highlight a recurring challenge in Nigerian politics: the credibility of official accounts when security agencies are simultaneously accused of complicity or bias. Independent verification remains difficult without the release of CCTV footage, medical reports detailing the extent of injuries, or transparent identification and prosecution of suspects. Sowore’s claim that authorities seized and may be suppressing video evidence, if substantiated, would deepen concerns about accountability.
For observers, the episode underscores the thin line between political competition and physical intimidation. Whether the attackers acted independently, with local political patronage, or with any form of security agency facilitation is a matter for thorough, independent investigation. The police have promised one; Sowore and his campaign demand more than what they view as minimization.
As Nigeria moves closer to the 2027 elections, the treatment of opposition candidates and activists will serve as a practical test of democratic norms.
Incidents that begin as local scuffles can quickly become national symbols of either resilience or repression. In this case, the images of bandaged limbs, the competing official and activist narratives, and the unresolved questions about sponsorship leave a clear message: the political temperature is rising, and the institutions charged with maintaining order face intense scrutiny over whether they can act as neutral guarantors of safety rather than perceived participants in the contest.
Samuel O. Sulaimon is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Naijapiz. He covers Global, News, Sports, Finance, Faiths, Education, Politics and Technology.
Post a Comment