ADO-EKITI — Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has recounted how he was violently assaulted by approximately 20 armed individuals at a restaurant in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, on Thursday, October 29, 2026.
Describing the encounter while receiving medical treatment for injuries to his face, hand, and legs, Sowore stated that the assailants attacked him and his associates without warning.
“They beat me like a criminal. They came from nowhere, about 20 of them, armed with sticks and bottles,” Sowore declared. “They said they will kill me if I come to Ekiti again. I am not afraid. They can beat me, they can arrest me, but they cannot stop me from speaking the truth.”
Sowore accused the Department of State Services (DSS) of tracking his movements and supplying his exact coordinates to government-backed thugs, while further alleging that the attackers were captured on local surveillance cameras but that security agents seized the CCTV footage to suppress evidence.
The activist also strongly rejected a preliminary statement issued by the Ekiti State Police Command, which described the incident as a minor “altercation” at a restaurant in the Dalimore area of Ado-Ekiti.
“There was no altercation! We were attacked!” Sowore stated. “The Commissioner saw the injuries, witnessed the aftermath of the violence, and was fully aware of the seriousness of what happened. Yet his Command has chosen to trivialize the attack, even describing the injuries as ‘minor.'”
In a official statement released by the Ekiti State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Sunday Abutu, the police command denied rumors circulating online that Sowore had been kidnapped.
The command confirmed that police personnel were dispatched to the scene upon receiving a distress call, rescued Sowore and his team, and transferred them to the Police Hospital in Ado-Ekiti for medical evaluation.
Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Falade Adegoroye Michael, has ordered a full-scale investigation to determine the motives behind the violence, identify the perpetrators, and bring all responsible parties to justice.
