Tension flared in Ado-Ekiti following a violent confrontation involving Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), resulting in conflicting narratives between security authorities and the politician’s camp. ​Following viral social media reports on Friday, October 30, 2026, alleging that armed thugs had abducted Sowore and taken him to an unknown location, the Ekiti State Police Command issued a swift rebuttal.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abutu Sunday, described the kidnap rumors as baseless, clarifying that officers responded to a distress call at a restaurant in the Dalimore area of Ado-Ekiti, where Sowore was embroiled in a violent scuffle with several individuals. According to police accounts, operatives rescued Sowore from the scene and transported him to the Police Hospital in Ado-Ekiti to receive medical treatment for minor injuries.
​However, Sowore and his supporters strongly contested the law enforcement agency’s framing of the incident. Speaking via his official social media channels, Sowore rejected the characterisation of the event as a minor restaurant altercation, declaring instead that his team was targeted in a coordinated ambush by state-sponsored thugs following a broadcast interview at MIDAS FM 90.5 in Ado-Ekiti.
He further alleged that officers from the Department of State Services (DSS) provided positional tracking that facilitated the assault. ​The Commissioner of Police for Ekiti State, CP Falade Adegoroye Michael, has ordered a full-scale investigation to ascertain the exact sequence of events, identify the perpetrators, and prosecute those responsible, while appealing to the public to avoid spreading unverified information online.
