African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has alleged that a newly obtained video showing individuals he identified as participants in the October 30 attack on him and members of his team in Ado-Ekiti could provide fresh leads in the investigation.
Sowore made the claim in a statement in which he accused the Ekiti State Police Command and other security operatives of mishandling evidence connected to the incident at Tawakalitu Restaurant in the Dalimore area of the state capital.
He alleged that the newly recovered footage captured the faces of individuals involved in the assault on him, AAC members and other members of his team.
The activist further alleged that CCTV recordings from the restaurant had been erased after police officers and operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) took possession of the surveillance equipment.
According to him, the equipment was later returned to the restaurant management without the original recordings.
Sowore claimed that the restaurant management confirmed the return of the CCTV equipment but declined to identify the officer who allegedly brought it back.
He also accused the police of failing to provide satisfactory answers when he contacted the Commissioner of Police, Michael Falade, the Divisional Police Officer of Ado-Ekiti Central Police Station, Mustapha Mohammed, and the Rapid Response Squad commander to request updates on the investigation.
Sowore said the officers allegedly claimed there was no complainant because he had not submitted a written statement, despite the police having responded to the incident, taken victims to hospital and arrested suspects.
He further raised questions over the whereabouts of allegedly stolen mobile phones, claiming that some of the devices had been electronically traced to the Governor’s Lodge.
The AAC candidate described the alleged disappearance of the CCTV recordings and the responses from police officers as evidence of a possible cover-up. He called for an independent investigation and demanded the removal of the Commissioner of Police and other officers he accused of compromising the investigation.
However, the allegations have not been independently established, and the claims concerning erased CCTV recordings, missing phones and their alleged location have not been publicly verified.
The latest development comes after the Ekiti State Police Command announced the arrest of 11 suspects in connection with the incident.
Police spokesperson, SP Abutu Sunday, said operatives of the Rapid Response Squad arrested the suspects at their hideouts in the Atikankan area of Ado-Ekiti at about 10pm on Friday, October 30, following a tip-off.
The command identified the suspects as Joseph Tayo, Olatunji Abayomi, Isaac Amba, Kehinde Ajigbana, Tosin David, Solomon Iyanu, Ogunsola Ayomide, Ojo Ayodeji, Kayode Dada, Segun Olatunji and Salami Emmanuel.
Items reportedly recovered during the arrests included two walkie-talkies, 13 mobile phones, seven ATM cards, eight international passports, vehicle keys, a flash drive, identity cards and other materials.
The police said the suspects remained in custody while investigations continued to establish their individual roles, determine possible connections to the incident and identify other persons who may have been involved.
The command also confirmed that Sowore and other victims had received medical attention and were discharged from hospital.
Earlier, Sowore had accused the DSS of providing the alleged attackers with information about his location, while the police initially described the incident as an altercation at the restaurant. The DSS had not publicly responded to the allegations in the reports reviewed.
The emergence of the alleged new video is likely to increase pressure on the police to provide a transparent account of the investigation, particularly regarding the handling and preservation of CCTV evidence.
For now, the identities and alleged roles of those shown in the footage, as well as Sowore’s claims about the missing recordings, remain matters requiring independent verification and official clarification.
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