Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, and the Ekiti State Police Command have given conflicting accounts of an incident at a restaurant in Ado-Ekiti on Friday, with the activist alleging an attack while the police described it as an altercation.
While Sowore insisted that he and members of his team were violently attacked, the police said he was involved in an altercation with some individuals and sustained a minor injury.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, said the command received information about the incident and immediately deployed operatives to the restaurant, where they rescued Sowore and took him to the Police Hospital in Ado-Ekiti for treatment.
However, Sowore rejected the police account in a statement published on his social media platforms, insisting that there was no altercation but an attack on him and his team.
He accused the Ekiti State Police Command and the Department of State Services (DSS) of attempting to suppress evidence, alleging that security operatives seized CCTV footage from the restaurant where the incident occurred.
Sowore claimed that the footage captured the attackers and accused the security agencies of attempting to protect those responsible.
He also faulted the Commissioner of Police, Falade Adegoroye Michael, for describing the incident as an altercation, alleging that the commissioner had visited the scene and seen the injuries sustained by the victims but later downplayed their severity.
The AAC presidential candidate further alleged that DSS operatives had been trailing and harassing him since his arrival in Ekiti State on Thursday.
He claimed that the operatives had also threatened the manager of a restaurant where he and his team previously ate, warning against allowing them to use the premises again.
According to Sowore, the incident occurred shortly after he concluded an interview at MIDAS FM 90.5 in Ado-Ekiti on Friday.
He also alleged that some of the attackers came from the Ekiti State Government House and received operational support from DSS operatives.
Meanwhile, the police dismissed reports that Sowore had been kidnapped after a social media post claimed that armed thugs had seized him and his whereabouts were unknown.
Abutu maintained that the activist was rescued by police operatives after the command received an alert about the incident.
He said the Commissioner of Police 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 avoid circulating unverified information capable of causing panic and tension.
