THE presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has sustained injuries during an incident involving him and some associates at a restaurant in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, with the police and the politician offering differing accounts of what happened.

While the Ekiti State Police Command described the incident as an altercation with some individuals at the restaurant and dismissed reports that Sowore was kidnapped, the AAC candidate insisted that he and members of his team were attacked by armed men.
The incident reportedly occurred on Friday, shortly after Sowore completed an interview with Midas FM 90.5 in the state capital.
In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, said the command received an alert about the incident and immediately deployed operatives to the scene.

Abutu said the police rescued Sowore and took him to the Police Hospital in Ado-Ekiti, where he was receiving treatment for what the command described as a minor injury.

“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,” the statement said.
The police added that Commissioner of Police, FaladeAdegoroye Michael, had ordered an investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident, identify those involved and ensure that anyone found culpable was brought to justice.
The police have urged members of the public to remain calm and avoid circulating unverified information, assuring that the investigation would establish the circumstances of the incident.

However, Sowore rejected the police account, insisting that the incident was not an altercation but a violent attack on him and his associates.
“There was no altercation! We were attacked!” he declared in a post on his X account.
He also accused the Department of State Services (DSS) of providing the attackers with his team’s location, alleging that the agency had been trailing and harassing them since their arrival in the state.

In another post, Sowore claimed that the attackers came from the Ekiti State Government House and alleged that they had received tracking and operational support from the DSS.

The AAC had earlier raised the alarm over the incident, saying the whereabouts of its presidential candidate were unknown and calling on the police, DSS, Independent National Electoral Commission and other relevant agencies to intervene.
The party’s campaign spokesperson, Abdulkareem Musa, described the development as a serious security concern and called for an immediate investigation and measures to guarantee Sowore’s safety.

“We demand an immediate security assessment, appropriate protective measures and a thorough investigation into the incident. The authorities must not wait for a tragedy before taking preventive action,” the campaign statement said.
The campaign also warned against political violence, stressing that “politics and elections are not warfare” and that no political actor or party had the right to intimidate or attack citizens exercising their democratic rights.

As of the time of filing this report, the DSS had not publicly responded to Sowore’s allegation.