Sowore, police differ over attack in Ekiti

Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), and the Ekiti State Police Command have given conflicting accounts of an incident at a restaurant in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, on Friday. While Sowore insisted that he and members of his team were violently attacked, the police described the incident as an altercation with some individuals, saying the activist sustained a minor injury.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, said the command received an alert that Sowore was having issues with some individuals at a restaurant in Ado-Ekiti and immediately deployed operatives to the scene. Abutu said the operatives rescued the AAC presidential candidate and took him to the Police Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, where he was receiving treatment.

However, Sowore, in a statement published on his social media accounts, rejected the police description of the incident as an “altercation”. “There was no altercation! We were attacked!” he declared. He accused the Ekiti State Police Command and the Department of State Services (DSS) of attempting to suppress evidence relating to the incident. Sowore alleged that security operatives seized CCTV footage from the restaurant where the incident occurred, claiming that the attackers were captured on camera and accusing the agencies of attempting to shield those responsible.

He also faulted the state Commissioner of Police, CP Falade Adegoroye Michael, for describing the incident as an altercation, saying the police commissioner had visited the scene and seen the injuries sustained by the victims but subsequently played down their severity. Sowore further alleged that DSS operatives had been trailing and harassing him since his arrival in the state on Thursday.

He claimed that the operatives also threatened the manager of a restaurant where he and his team had earlier eaten, warning him against allowing them to use the premises again. He said the attack occurred shortly after he concluded an interview at MIDAS FM 90.5 in Ado-Ekiti on Friday. Sowore also alleged that some of the attackers came from the Ekiti State Government House and received operational support from DSS operatives.

Police Response The police, however, denied reports that the activist was kidnapped, following a social media post claiming that he had been seized by armed thugs and his whereabouts were unknown. Abutu said in a statement that the command wished to clarify that Sowore was not kidnapped but was rescued by police operatives after they received information about the incident.

“The command wishes to categorically clarify that Mr. Sowore was not kidnapped. Rather, preliminary information indicates that he had an altercation with some individuals at a restaurant in Ado-Ekiti, following which the police were immediately alerted. “Upon receiving the report, police operatives swiftly mobilised to the scene and successfully rescued him.

He, however, sustained a minor injury and is currently receiving medical attention at the Police Hospital, Ado-Ekiti,” the statement read. The police spokesman said the Commissioner of Police, Michael Falade, had ordered a discreet investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident, identify those involved and ensure that anyone found culpable was brought to justice.

The command urged members of the public to remain calm and refrain from circulating unverified information capable of creating panic and tension.