A major political storm has erupted in Ekiti State following a violent incident involving African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore at a restaurant in the Dalimore area of Ado-Ekiti.
The encounter sparked fierce controversy as law enforcement authorities and the political candidate presented completely opposing accounts of what transpired, raising broader concerns over political violence, election security, and state oversight ahead of upcoming elections.
Initial social media alerts raised by Sowore’s camp claimed that he had been kidnapped by armed thugs and that his whereabouts were unknown. The Ekiti State Police Command swiftly debunked the kidnapping narrative, clarifying through statements issued by Police Public Relations Officer SP Abutu Sunday that officers responded to a distress call regarding a “fracas” or “altercation” between Sowore and unidentified individuals.
According to the police, operatives rescued Sowore, took him to the Police Cottage Hospital in Ado-Ekiti where he received treatment for minor injuries, and later discharged him to his resort. The command further stated that Sowore refused to provide a formal statement to aid ongoing investigations and emphasized that he had failed to notify the command of his trip to enable security coverage.
In sharp contrast, Omoyele Sowore vehemently rejected the police command’s framing, insisting that there was no altercation and that he and his team were ambushed in a coordinated attack by armed thugs wielding sticks and bottles. Sowore accused the police leadership, including Commissioner of Police CP Falade Adegoroye Michael, of downplaying the severity of their injuries and whitewashing political violence. He further alleged that Department of State Services (DSS) operatives collaborated with state-backed thugs to leak his location following a radio interview, and claimed security forces were attempting to suppress CCTV footage from the venue to shield the perpetrators. Sowore defended his refusal to submit a police statement by asserting that the command was acting in bad faith to manipulate the public narrative rather than conduct an authentic investigation.
The confrontation has triggered widespread debate across Nigeria’s political and civil society landscape. Human rights advocates and organizations such as the Take It Back Movement have condemned the attack, calling for an independent investigation into the breach of security and criticizing police attempts to frame political violence as minor squabbles.
Civil rights groups caution that physical intimidation against opposition figures signals a shrinking democratic space, while commentators remain divided over issues of police protocol, campaign safety, and accountability for political violence as full investigations into the Ado-Ekiti incident continue.
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