Sowore alleges Police cover-up in handling of 11 suspects who attempted to assassinate him in Ekiti

Sowore names 12 individuals and officials for investigation; insists on removal of Commissioner of Police Falade

The Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, Omoleye Sowore has alleged cover-up and hypocrisy by the Ekiti State Command of the Nigeria Police Force in the purported arraignment of 11 persons it claimed participated in the brutal attack and attempted assassination of him and members of his team at Tawakalitu Restaurant in Ado-Ekiti on Friday, October 30, 2026.

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Sowore said there was no principal perpetrators who they publicly identified that were among those arrested.

In a statement he issued on Wednesday and made available to CAPITAL POST, the activist stated that the arrest was a cover-up and a diversion to shield the sponsor of the attempted assassination.

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The statement reads: “For the avoidance of doubt, none of the principal perpetrators we have publicly identified have been arrested, let alone brought before a court to answer for the attack.

“We consider this arraignment a calculated diversion from the serious crime of attempted murder and an apparent attempt to shield those who planned, sponsored, coordinated and executed the attack.

“Our internal investigations have identified 12 individuals and officials whose actions, associations and involvement require urgent, independent criminal investigation.

Sowore listed 12 persons for investigation:

1. Biodun Oyebanji, Governor of Ekiti State, must answer questions concerning allegations linking individuals associated with his administration to the attack, particularly following our tracing of stolen devices to locations around the Governor’s Lodge and Office.

2. CSP Ayodele Akinlua, Chief Security Officer to the Governor, must explain the warning attributed to him hours before the attack that my safety could not be guaranteed if I proceeded with political activities in Ekiti State.

3. CP Falade Adegoroye Michael, Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State, must account for his command’s initial characterization of the attack as a mere altercation, its handling of the crime scene, the removal of CCTV equipment and allegations concerning the suppression or destruction of critical evidence.

4. The Ekiti State Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) and relevant operatives must be investigated over allegations that DSS personnel provided location intelligence and operational assistance to the armed attackers.

5. Adenijo Sola, popularly known as “Solar,” has been identified through information gathered by our team as an alleged leader of the armed attackers; he was on the scene of the attack. His reported relationship with individuals connected to the Ekiti State Government and the Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority requires investigation.

6. Omotuyi Temitope, alias “Tope Jinadu Small”, and other identified individuals associated with the Ekiti State chapter of the City Boys Movement must be questioned about their involvement in the attack.

7. Asefon Sunday Dayo, former NANS President, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu, and National Director of Student Engagement of the City Boys Movement, must be investigated for information concerning his alleged association with identified attackers and involvement in planning the attack.

8. Olayinka Oyebode, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Oyebanji, should be questioned about the circumstances surrounding the state government’s statement dismissing our allegations and attacking my credibility and exonerating the attackers.

9. Makinde Araoye and other organizers of the Ikogosi Marathon must be questioned about their actions before and after the attack, including the circumstances surrounding my exclusion from the event and any relevant information they possessed about threats to my safety.

10. Ayodeji Akintade Ifeoluwa, popularly known as “AK,” identified as Publicity Secretary of the Ekiti State City Boys Movement, has been linked by our team to footage of the violent attack wielding a machete and butchering one of our team members. The original recordings must be independently examined to establish the identities and actions of those captured.

11. Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), must be investigated over information received by our team concerning his alleged connections to individuals implicated in the attack, including Sola Adenijo, also known as “Solar.”

12. Lere Olayinka Aresa, 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.

These 12 individuals and officials have been identified for investigation based on information gathered by our team. Their inclusion will hasten the investigations.

The Nigeria Police Force must explain why the principal individuals we have identified have not been brought in for questioning, why CCTV recordings were reportedly wiped from equipment removed from the restaurant, and what has become of the phones and other devices stolen during the attack.

We demand the immediate disclosure of the charges filed against them and the evidence linking them to the attack including why the victims of attack were not contacted before arraignment.

We further demand the immediate removal or suspension of CP Falade Adegoroye Michael pending an independent investigation into his command’s handling of the case.

The Inspector-General of Police must constitute an independent investigative team, secure and forensically examine all available CCTV recordings, recover the stolen devices, preserve electronic and communications evidence, and investigate everyone credibly linked to planning, financing, executing, or concealing the attack.

Arraigning 11 persons does not amount to justice if those who organized and sponsored the violence remain untouched. We will not accept a cosmetic prosecution designed to create the appearance of accountability while the central questions remain unanswered.

Every person against whom credible evidence of criminal involvement is established must be prosecuted, regardless of political office, security position, or personal connections.

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