The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, and members of his team have sustained injuries following a violent incident in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, with the politician and the police offering conflicting accounts of what happened.
The incident occurred at a restaurant in the Dalimore area of Ado-Ekiti.
Sowore initially raised the alarm on social media, alleging that he and members of his team had been attacked by armed men whom he described as government-sponsored thugs. He also claimed that the Department of State Services (DSS) provided the attackers with their location.
In an earlier post, his social media account suggested that he had been kidnapped and that his whereabouts were unknown, raising concerns among supporters and members of the public.
However, the Ekiti State Police Command dismissed the kidnapping claim, explaining that its operatives responded to a distress call concerning an altercation involving Sowore and some individuals at a restaurant.
In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, said officers swiftly mobilised to the location and rescued the AAC presidential candidate.
According to the police, Sowore sustained a minor injury during the incident and was receiving medical attention at the Police Hospital in Ado-Ekiti.
The command also confirmed that the Commissioner of Police, Falade Adegoroye Michael, had ordered a discreet investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident, identify those involved and ensure that anyone found culpable would face the law.
However, Sowore strongly rejected the police description of the incident as an altercation, insisting that he and his associates were victims of a deliberate attack.
“There was no altercation! We were attacked!” he declared in a subsequent post on X.
He further accused the police command of downplaying the seriousness of the incident, alleging that the commissioner had personally witnessed the injuries sustained by members of his team before the command issued its statement describing his injury as minor.
Sowore also alleged that DSS operatives had been monitoring and harassing his team since their arrival in Ekiti State on Thursday, October 29.
Meanwhile, the African Action Congress expressed concern over the incident and called on the Ekiti State Government, the Inspector-General of Police and the state Commissioner of Police to establish Sowore’s whereabouts, guarantee his safety and arrest those responsible.
The party warned that it could organise a mass protest at the Ekiti State Government House if the authorities failed to take appropriate action.
As of the latest reports, the police investigation had been ordered, but no publicly confirmed findings establishing the identities of those responsible or the circumstances surrounding the confrontation had emerged.
The conflicting accounts have raised questions about the incident, particularly the allegations of political violence and the responsibility of security agencies to protect political actors and members of the public.
The outcome of the police investigation is expected to provide further clarity on what transpired in Ado-Ekiti.
AAC presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore and members of his team sustain injuries in Ado-Ekiti as the politician and Ekiti Police give conflicting accounts of the incident.