Sowore, police trade words over Ekiti attack

Sowore, pictured with bandages on his hand and leg. Photo: Omoyele Sowore on X

The Ekiti State Police Command and the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, on Friday gave conflicting accounts of a reported attack on the activist in Ado-Ekiti.

While Sowore alleged that he and his associates were attacked by government-sponsored thugs, the police said their personnel rescued him following an altercation at a restaurant and took him to the Police Hospital, where he received treatment for a minor injury.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, said the command received information that Sowore was having issues with individuals at a restaurant in the state capital and immediately deployed operatives to the scene.

He said the police intervened and rescued the AAC candidate, who sustained an injury during the incident.

Abutu 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 attention of the Ekiti State Police Command has been drawn to a message circulating on social media alleging that Mr Omoyele Sowore was kidnapped by armed thugs in Ado-Ekiti, with his whereabouts unknown,” Abutu said in a statement.

“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.”

However, Sowore faulted the police account, insisting that he and his associates were attacked rather than involved in an ordinary altercation.

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In a post on his X handle on Friday evening, the AAC presidential candidate accused the command of downplaying the severity of the incident despite the visit of the state Commissioner of Police to the scene.

“There was no altercation! We were attacked!” he declared.

Sowore alleged that the commissioner personally witnessed the injuries sustained by those involved but that the police subsequently described the incident as a minor altercation.

“The commissioner saw the injuries, witnessed the aftermath of the violence, and was fully aware of the seriousness of what happened. Yet his command has chosen to trivialise the attack, even describing the injuries as ‘minor’,” he alleged, describing the development as despicable.

Sowore shared a video showing the commissioner leaving an emergency room after reportedly observing the injuries sustained by those affected.

Earlier, in a separate post on X, the AAC candidate had alleged that armed thugs kidnapped him and his associates in Ado-Ekiti, adding that their whereabouts were unknown.

He also accused the Department of State Services of providing the attackers with their exact location to facilitate the assault.

The police, however, maintained that he was not kidnapped, saying their intervention followed an alert about the incident at the restaurant.

The command reiterated that the investigation ordered by Falade would establish the full circumstances of the incident and identify those responsible.