Protesters on Tuesday besieged the headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja, demanding the immediate arrest and prosecution of individuals allegedly responsible for the October 30 violent attack on human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, and members of his team in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
The demonstrators called for a thorough and independent investigation into the incident, insisting that everyone who allegedly sponsored, coordinated or participated in the attack must be brought to justice.
They also demanded accountability for any security operatives found to have participated in the violence or obstructed investigations into the incident.
During the protest, the demonstrators sang and chanted anti-government songs, demanding justice for Sowore and members of his team who were assaulted.
The demonstration comes amid growing controversy over the police investigation into the incident, with Sowore accusing the Ekiti State Government and security operatives of allegedly shielding individuals involved in the attack.
The activist has repeatedly rejected the police account of the incident, which initially described it as an altercation between him and some individuals at Tawakalitu Restaurant in Ado-Ekiti.
The police had confirmed that Sowore sustained injuries during the incident and was taken to hospital for treatment. However, the activist insisted that he and his team were victims of a coordinated assault, disputing the command’s claim that police officers rescued them.
On Sunday, Sowore alleged that a mobile phone stolen from one of his team members during the attack had been traced to the Ekiti State Governor’s Lodge.
In a statement, he said, “One of the phones stolen from a member of our team during Friday’s brutal attack in Ado-Ekiti has now been traced to the Governor’s Lodge in Ekiti State.”
He subsequently demanded that the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS) release CCTV footage from Tawakalitu Restaurant, where the assault reportedly occurred.
“The @PoliceNG and @OfficialDSSNG must immediately release the CCTV footage from Tawakalitu Restaurant to the public. You cannot bury the evidence,” he added.
The allegations came after the Ekiti State Police Command announced the arrest of 11 suspects in connection with the attack.
According to the police, the suspects were arrested at their hideouts in the Atikankan area of Ado-Ekiti at about 10pm on Friday, October 30, following a tip-off.
Items reportedly recovered during the operation included two walkie-talkies, substances suspected to be Indian hemp and Colorado, seven ATM cards, 13 mobile phones, eight international passports and two suspected criminal charms.
Reacting to the arrests, Sowore described the police announcement as an admission that the incident was a coordinated attack rather than an ordinary altercation, as initially suggested by the command.
However, he insisted that the investigation must go beyond arresting alleged participants to identifying and apprehending those who allegedly organised, financed and coordinated the operation.
He specifically demanded the arrest of Adenijo Olusola, popularly known as Solar, whom eyewitnesses reportedly identified as one of the alleged participants in the assault.
Sowore accused Solar of coordinating the attack from the Ekiti State Government House alongside Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s Chief Security Officer, CSP Ayodele Akinlua.
He also identified Omotuyi Temitope, popularly known as Tope Jinadu Small, as another alleged participant in the attack.
According to previous reports, Solar had faced murder charges in two separate cases linked to political violence in Ekiti State.
In September 2014, he was among seven men prosecuted over the murder of former Ekiti State chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Chief Omolafe Aderiye.
However, the Ekiti State High Court discharged and acquitted all seven defendants in January 2018 after finding that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence linking them to the murder.
Solar was also arrested and arraigned alongside two other individuals over violence during the March 2021 Ekiti East Constituency 1 by-election in Omuo-Ekiti. The charges included conspiracy, murder and attempted murder. However, no final High Court judgment or conviction against him in that case has been established from the available records.
Meanwhile, Tope Jinadu Small was among 220 inmates who escaped from the Ado-Ekiti Correctional Centre during a jailbreak in 2012.
In June 2024, the then Ekiti State Police spokesperson, DSP Sunday Abutu, confirmed his arrest, disclosing that he had previously been remanded at the correctional facility over conspiracy and armed robbery charges.
In fresh allegations made on Monday, Sowore accused President Bola Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Student Engagement, Asefon Sunday Dayo, and the Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority, Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo, who is also Tinubu’s son-in-law, of alleged involvement in the attack.
He alleged that Asefon, a former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), was among the alleged ringleaders, while Ojo allegedly mobilised Solar for the operation.
Sowore further identified Asefon’s bodyguard, Ayodeji Akintade Ifeoluwa, as one of those allegedly deployed to lead the attack.
According to the activist, Akintade was the individual seen wearing a green polo shirt and wielding a machete during the assault.
However, the allegations against the named individuals have not been established by a court, and the individuals have not been convicted in connection with the incident.
The activist also accused DSS operatives and police officers of allegedly accompanying or assisting the attackers, insisting that security agencies must conduct an independent investigation and prosecute everyone found culpable.
The October 30 attack reportedly occurred shortly after Sowore attended a one-hour interview at MIDAS FM 90.5 in Ado-Ekiti.
He alleged that the attackers initially planned to assault him and his team at the radio station but later tracked their movements before launching the attack at Tawakalitu Restaurant in the Dalimore area of the state capital.
Sowore also accused security operatives of trailing and harassing members of his team before the assault.
Despite the incident, the activist vowed not to abandon his political activities or the struggle, declaring in his Monday statement: “We survived the brutal attack, and the revolutionary struggle must continue.”