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The Ekiti State Police Command has arrested 11 suspects in connection with the attack on the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential aspirant, Omoyele Sowore, and members of his team at a restaurant in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Abutu Sunday, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, saying operatives of the Rapid Response Squad apprehended the suspects at their hideouts in the Atikankan area of Ado-Ekiti at about 10pm on Friday following a tip-off.
It partly reads, “The Ekiti State Police Command has arrested eleven (11) suspects in connection with the alleged attack on Mr Omoyele Sowore, an African Action Congress (AAC) presidential aspirant, and other persons at Tawakalitu Restaurant, Dalimore Area of Ado-Ekiti.
“The suspects are Joseph Tayo ’32yrs’, Olatunji Abayomi ’41yrs’, Isaac Amba ’22yrs’, Kehinde Ajigbana ’18yrs’, Tosin David ’18yrs’, Solomon Iyanu ’18yrs’, Ogunsola Ayomide ’21yrs’, Ojo Ayodeji ’22yrs’, Kayode Dada ’32yrs’, Segun Olatunji ’28yrs’ and Salami Emmanuel ’53yrs’.
“Items recovered include two walkie-talkies, substances suspected to be Indian hemp and Colorado, two Indian hemp crushers, one pack of Rizla, seven ATM cards, thirteen mobile phones, two vehicle keys, one flash drive, one 5G MTN Wi-Fi device, identity cards, eight international passports, three complimentary cards, two suspected criminal charms, one gas lighter and ₦250.”
The police said investigations were ongoing to establish the individual roles of the suspects and determine their possible connections with the attack.
The Commissioner of Police, Falade Michael, assured residents that everyone found culpable would be brought to justice.
The statement quoted him as saying that the command “will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that all those found culpable are brought to justice.”
Reacting to the arrests, Sowore demanded that the alleged masterminds and sponsors of the attack be identified and brought to justice, insisting that the incident was a coordinated assault and not an ordinary altercation.
Sowore made the demand in a post on X on Saturday, saying the arrests confirmed that the incident was a deliberate attack rather than a mere altercation.
He further alleged that some of the attackers were members of the City Boys group and called for a probe into possible connections between the incident and officials of the Ekiti State Government.
The AAC presidential aspirant also urged the state Commissioner of Police, Falade Adegoroye Michael, and the Department of State Services (DSS) to secure and make available CCTV footage from the scene to aid the identification of those involved in the attack.
“Arresting 11 suspects is not enough if those who planned, financed, coordinated and facilitated the attack remain untouched,” he wrote.
He also demanded an explanation from the police over their initial description of the incident as an altercation.
