by Omoyele Sowore
The attempted assassination in Ekiti and the desperate attempt to cover it up
On Friday, October 30, 2026, armed political thugs descended on me and members of my team at Tawakalitu Restaurant in Dalimore area, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, in what I firmly believe was a coordinated assassination attempt intended to eliminate me and derail my 2027 presidential campaign. We were brutally beaten, wounded, and robbed of our personal belongings. Members of my security team were attacked and disarmed. We survived an assault that could easily have ended in multiple deaths.
This was no ordinary attack, and the events preceding it raise concrete questions about the involvement of powerful political figures and security operatives.
Hours before the assault, CSP Ayodele Akinlua, Chief Security Officer to Ekiti Governor Biodun Oyebanji, warned one of our comrades, Moyinoluwa Olowoyo, that my safety could not be guaranteed if I proceeded with political activities in Ekiti State. Earlier, DSS operatives had reportedly intimidated the management of a restaurant where we met with AAC members, forcing the cancellation of further engagements.
Our investigations have since uncovered information suggesting that DSS operatives tracked our movements and provided intelligence and operational assistance to the attackers. The DSS cannot be implicated in an attack and then expect Nigerians to accept its own account of what happened.
The Ekiti State Government was also caught red-handed. Devices stolen from our team were subsequently traced to locations around the Governor’s Office and Governor’s Lodge in Ado-Ekiti. These location readings require forensic verification, but they are investigative leads that cannot simply be dismissed, since the revelations, the Governor has gone silent. Governor Oyebanji must explain the warning attributed to his Chief Security Officer and ensure that all relevant evidence is preserved.
Then came the conduct of the Nigeria Police Force, which has only deepened our suspicions of a cover-up.
CP Falade Adegoroye Michael, the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, initially dismissed the brutal assault as a mere restaurant “altercation”; this was shortly after he visited us at the police clinic, where we were receiving treatment for various degrees of injuries. His command subsequently announced arrests, but the handling of the most crucial evidence has been deeply troubling. Police officers reportedly removed CCTV equipment from the restaurant, only for it to be returned with the recordings wiped. Meanwhile, stolen devices remain unaccounted for, and the principal attackers we have publicly identified have not been brought to justice.
Now, the Ekiti State Police Command claims to have “arraigned” 11 persons in connection with the attack. We reject this cosmetic prosecution as an apparent attempt to manufacture the appearance of justice while leaving those who allegedly planned, sponsored, and directed the violence untouched.
Our internal investigations have identified individuals whose roles demand immediate scrutiny, including Governor Biodun Oyebanji; CSP Ayodele Akinlua; Commissioner of Police, Falade Adegoroye Michael; the Ekiti State Director of the DSS; Sola Adenijo, popularly known as Solar (the Killer Squad leader who was once arrested for killing a police woman and 4 people in 2021, he is however currently on the payroll of the Governor); Omotuyi Temitope, alias Tope Jinadu Small (he was part of the team that attacked us at Tawakalitu restaurant); former NANS President Sunday Asefon (He is President Tinubu’s Special Assistant on Students Engagement and also play the same role for President Tinubu son’s “CityBoy Movt” the attack was planned by largely through him); Ayodeji Akintade Ifeoluwa, popularly known as “AK” (He is the Chief Security Officer to Sunday Asefon the SA to President Tinubu); Federal Housing Authority Managing Director Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo (He is President Tinubu’s -in-law as well and said to provide funding and support to Sola Adenijo aka “Solar”); Olayinka Oyebode (The Chief Press Secretary to the State Governor); Makinde Araoye (He is the organizer of Ikogosi Marathon who issued a statement banning me from partaking in Ikogosi marathon as soon as i was brutally attacked); and Lere Olayinka (Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has also been named in information received by our team concerning the attack.)
We have identified these individuals on the basis of information gathered by our team, including allegations of direct participation, relevant associations, official conduct and possible knowledge of the events. Their precise roles must be established through independent investigation and credible evidence.
We demand the immediate removal or suspension of CP Falade from responsibility for this case. The Inspector-General of Police must constitute an independent investigative team, recover and forensically examine the missing CCTV recordings, trace the stolen devices, investigate all identified suspects and disclose the identities and charges of the 11 persons already arraigned. Every individual found to have participated in the attack, financed it, destroyed evidence or obstructed justice must face prosecution, regardless of political connections.
We are also calling on the National Human Rights Commission, the Nigerian Bar Association, international human rights organizations and diplomatic missions to closely monitor this case. The evidence must be secured, witnesses protected, and the investigation removed from anyone whose conduct is under legitimate scrutiny.
We will not accept the arraignment of convenient suspects as a substitute for investigating those who organized and sponsored this violence. We will not accept missing evidence, manufactured explanations, or institutional silence.
I have endured arrests, detention, politically motivated prosecutions and repeated attacks because of my commitment to confronting injustice in Nigeria. The attack in Ekiti will not silence me, intimidate our movement, or stop our political activities.
If a presidential candidate can be attacked in broad daylight and the investigation becomes mired in allegations of official interference and destroyed evidence, then the safety of every Nigerian is at stake.
We survived the violence. We will expose any cover-up. We demand the truth, the evidence, and the prosecution of everyone responsible.
We note the disturbing silence from President Bola Tinubu’s office over the egregious assassination attempt against us in Ado-Ekiti. This silence raises serious questions about what the presidency knew and whether individuals connected to it were involved in the attack.
this is not just about sowore. This is about the right of every Nigerian to live without fear of state-sponsored violence.
Thanks
Omoyele Sowore
Presidential Candidate, African Action Congress (AAC)
Publisher, SaharaReporters
Convener, #RevolutionNow Movement
