Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, Omoyele Sowore, has accused supporters of President Bola Tinubu, officials of the Ekiti State Government and security operatives of shielding individuals allegedly involved in the October 30, 2026 attack on him and members of his team in Ado-Ekiti.
Sowore made the fresh allegations on Saturday, November 7, after one of the principal suspects identified by his team, Ayodeji Akintade Ifeoluwa, popularly known as “AK”, reportedly resurfaced publicly at campaign activities organised in support of President Tinubu.
According to Sowore, AK was seen participating in Thursday’s campaign activities alongside executives of the Ekiti State chapter of the City Boys Movement, despite being identified by his team as one of the armed attackers involved in the incident.
The AAC presidential candidate said the suspect was captured in video footage wielding a machete and violently attacking members of his team during the incident, which he described as an attempted assassination.
He expressed outrage that the suspect could participate openly in political activities without being arrested or questioned by the Nigeria Police Force over his alleged involvement in the violence.
“Here is Ayodeji Akintade Ifeoluwa, popularly known as ‘AK’, whom we identified as one of the armed attackers who attempted to assassinate me and members of my team in Ado-Ekiti on October 30, 2026, openly participating in Thursday’s campaign activities for Bola Ahmed Tinubu alongside executives of the Ekiti State chapter of the City Boys Movement!” Sowore stated.
“This is the same individual we identified in video footage wielding a machete and violently attacking members of our team in broad daylight.
“Yet, to date, the Nigeria Police Force has not arrested him or publicly explained what investigative steps it has taken concerning his alleged involvement.”
Sowore’s latest accusation comes days after his party accused members of the City Boys Movement in Ekiti State of involvement in the attack, following the emergence of video footage allegedly showing some individuals wielding weapons and assaulting members of his team.
The activist also accused the Ekiti chapter of the City Boys Movement of attempting to distance itself from the violence after his team began identifying individuals allegedly involved in the incident.
He further alleged that Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s administration had connections to some of the individuals accused of participating in the attack.
According to him, his team conducted an independent investigation and uncovered information allegedly linking individuals associated with the state government to the violence.
Sowore also claimed that mobile phones and electronic devices stolen from members of his team during the attack were traced to locations within the Ekiti State Government House and the Governor’s Lodge in Ado-Ekiti.
“When the City Boy Movement Ekiti chapter hurriedly denied involvement in the attack, its leadership never imagined we would obtain video footage and identify individuals we believe participated in the violence,” he said.
“Governor [Biodun Oyebanji] and his administration probably never anticipated that we would conduct our own independent investigation, uncover information linking individuals associated with his government to the attack, and trace phones and devices stolen from us to locations inside the Government House and Governor’s Lodge in Ado-Ekiti.”
The activist accused the authorities of maintaining silence after his team publicly disclosed the findings of its investigation.
He also faulted the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Michael Falade, for allegedly downplaying the incident when it occurred by describing it as a mere “altercation”.
Sowore further alleged that police officers removed CCTV equipment from the restaurant where the attack took place and later returned it after the recordings had allegedly been erased.
He claimed that his team received information suggesting that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) were involved in handling the CCTV evidence and tracking and disclosing his movements while he was in Ekiti State.
The activist said the police had failed to provide a convincing explanation after his team released video footage allegedly showing the brutality of the attack.
Instead, he alleged, the police hurriedly arraigned 11 persons before a Chief Magistrate’s Court, where they were subsequently granted bail.
According to Sowore, none of the 11 persons arraigned was among the principal attackers his team had publicly identified from the video footage.
He consequently questioned why the individuals he identified as the major suspects had not been arrested or investigated publicly.
Sowore also renewed allegations against several political figures and government officials whom he accused of having roles in the planning, financing or execution of the attack.
Among those mentioned was Asiwaju Kasali Oluwafemi, whom he identified as the Ekiti State leader of the City Boys Movement.
Sowore accused Oluwafemi of previously issuing threats against him and celebrating the violence, allegedly because he had prior knowledge of the planned attack.
He also questioned why authorities had allegedly failed to take action against Asefon Sunday Dayo, a former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and President Tinubu’s aide on student engagement.
The activist said information available to his team implicated Asefon in the alleged mobilisation and financing of armed men for the attack, reportedly with backing from the Presidency.
Another individual mentioned was Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo, President Tinubu’s son-in-law and Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), whom Sowore accused of allegedly assisting in mobilising the attackers.
He also demanded answers concerning Sola Adenijo, popularly known as “Solar”, whom he identified as one of the principal leaders of the attackers on the ground.
According to Sowore, Adenijo, whom he alleged was the treasurer of the City Boys Movement in Ekiti State, played a leading role in coordinating the violence.
He further questioned the alleged involvement of Makinde Araoye, an organiser of the Ikogosi Marathon, whom he accused of having prior knowledge of the attack.
Sowore also named CSP Ayodele Akinlua, the Chief Security Officer to Governor Oyebanji, alleging that the security officer had warned hours before the incident that his safety could not be guaranteed.
He equally accused former Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Commander, CSP Marcus Olaosebikan Ogundola, of being present alongside police personnel during the attack and participating in alleged efforts to interfere with CCTV evidence.
The controversy surrounding the incident has also been fuelled by conflicting accounts from Sowore and the Ekiti State Police Command.
While Sowore insists that he and his team were attacked by armed men in a coordinated assault, the police initially described the incident as an altercation at a restaurant in the Dalimore area of Ado-Ekiti.
The police subsequently announced the arrest of 11 suspects, stating that investigations were ongoing to establish their individual roles and identify other persons connected to the incident.
However, Sowore rejected the arrests as insufficient, insisting that the principal individuals identified by his team had not been apprehended.
He has demanded an independent investigation, the recovery and forensic examination of the CCTV recordings, the recovery of stolen devices and the prosecution of everyone found to have participated in planning, financing or executing the attack.
The activist warned that those allegedly involved in the violence appeared to be relying on the passage of time and public distraction to escape accountability.
“They are hoping this crime will disappear from public attention like so many other cases of political violence in Nigeria. They are mistaken,” he declared.
Sowore’s latest allegations have intensified scrutiny of the Ekiti State Government, the police command, the DSS and the City Boys Movement, particularly following the reported appearance of a suspect his team identified in footage of the attack at a campaign event supporting President Tinubu.
The incident has raised fresh concerns about political violence, the alleged involvement of political groups in attacks against opposition figures and the handling of politically sensitive investigations by security agencies in Nigeria.