Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has alleged that a phone stolen from a member of his team during Friday’s attack in Ado-Ekiti has been traced to the Governor’s Lodge. He called on the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to release the CCTV footage from Tawakalitu Restaurant and said the evidence must not be hidden.
This claim has not been confirmed. We found no police statement on it and no response from the Ekiti State Government.
What Is Known: A Confirmed Attack, 11 Arrests and an Open Question on Motive
The attack at the restaurant in the Dalimore area is not in dispute. Sowore was hurt, and he and others were treated at a police hospital and discharged. Police first called the incident an altercation. Sowore rejected that word, saying armed men carried out a coordinated attack.
On Friday night, police said the Rapid Response Squad arrested 11 suspects at hideouts in the Atikankan area of Ado-Ekiti, acting on a tip-off. Police said they were still working out each suspect’s role and looking for others. The suspects have not been tried, and police have not said who sent them or why. The arrests do not show where any phone ended up.
What the AAC and Its Allies Claim: Cover-Up, Seized Footage and a Prior Warning (A Cover-Up Means Hiding Facts to Protect Someone)
The AAC accused the police of downplaying the attack. It said stolen phones had been traced but no arrests had followed at that time. It alleged that security operatives seized the restaurant’s CCTV footage, and it demanded an independent investigation into the alleged roles of the police, the DSS and Governor Biodun Oyebanji. SaharaReporters, which Sowore publishes, carried these claims.
An activist who was with Sowore, Olowoyo, alleged that the governor’s chief security officer phoned him on the morning of the attack and asked whether Sowore planned a rally. He claimed the officer said Sowore’s safety could not be guaranteed. None of these claims has been verified, and we have not seen a response from the governor’s security office.
What the Government and Police Say: Denial, a Call for Investigation and Silence on the Footage
The Ekiti State Government dissociated itself “totally” from the incident. In a statement on Saturday, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Olayinka Oyebode, called on the police to investigate and bring those responsible to justice. The government argued that sponsoring such an attack would be inconsistent with the peaceful conduct of the state’s recent governorship campaign and election.
Police have said Commissioner of Police Falade Adegoroye Michael ordered an investigation. We found no police statement saying whether the restaurant’s footage was taken, or when it might be made public. That silence is why Sowore’s demand matters, even though his claim about suppression is unproven.
Not the First Clash of This Season: Earlier Attacks and Competing Claims
Disputes over who attacked whom have marked the 2027 campaign. In Ebonyi, an attack on a Nigeria Democratic Congress candidate’s convoy killed at least one person, according to police. In Katsina, police arrested 14 suspects after an attack on an All Progressives Congress convoy.
The AAC also linked the Ekiti attack to an earlier alleged DSS operation in Rivers State, saying a tracking device was planted on Sowore’s vehicle. That claim is also unproven. In each case, one side accuses an official body, and the accused side denies it. What settles such disputes is usually evidence.
Why a Phone and a Camera Matter: The Role of Digital Evidence (Digital Evidence Means Data From Phones and Cameras Used to Prove Facts)
A phone can show where it has been, who has held it and when. Camera footage can show faces, weapons and timing. Together they can identify attackers and show who gave orders. That is why both sides are fighting over them.
Evidence can also mislead if handled badly. A tracked phone may reflect a sale, a gift or a mistake, and a location alone does not prove who held it or why. Police need clear records of how each item was found and stored, so a court can trust it. If the phone really did end up at the Governor’s Lodge, that fact alone would still not show how it got there, and officials should explain it.
The Price of Doubt: Damaged Trust, Frightened Candidates and a Strained Election
When claims like these stay unresolved, public trust suffers. Supporters of Sowore may believe that security agencies are against him. Supporters of the government may believe that he is making unproven accusations for attention. Neither group is persuaded by the other, and the gap widens.
The wider cost reaches the country. A presidential candidate who feels unsafe in a state weakens confidence in the whole election. Smaller parties, which depend on easy access to voters, may find it harder to campaign. International observers also watch for signs that candidates can move freely. A clear, credible investigation would help every side.
Clearing the Air: Release the Facts, Preserve the Chain and Invite Independent Checks (Chain of Custody Means a Record of Who Handled Evidence)
The police can confirm whether they hold the restaurant’s CCTV and make a clear statement on its safekeeping. They can also publish what they have recovered, such as the phones and other items, and explain how each was traced. Any phone said to have reached the Lodge should be examined openly.
Sowore and the AAC should hand over the evidence they hold, including photographs, medical reports and the tracking record behind the phone claim. An independent body, such as the National Human Rights Commission, or a panel of respected figures, could review the case. The suspects deserve fair trials, and the question of any sponsors should be pursued with the same care.
Evidence Must Speak Louder Than Accusation: Our Reading of an Unfinished Case
We take no side in this contest. Sowore has made serious claims, and the government and police have rejected the suggestion of official involvement. Both positions are claims for now.
What matters is that facts can still settle the dispute. Footage exists. Phones have been recovered or traced. Eleven suspects are in custody. These are real pieces of evidence, and they should lead to answers.
We urge the police to share what they can without harming the case. We urge the Ekiti government to answer the phone claim directly. And we urge Sowore’s team to put its proof before investigators. A country heading into an election needs to see that even a high-profile dispute can end in truth, not just louder accusations.
Published by Ejoh Caleb
