Sowore demands arrest of alleged masterminds as Ekiti police nab 11 suspects over restaurant attack

The Ekiti State Police Command has arrested 11 suspects over the alleged attack on African Action Congress (AAC) presidential aspirant Omoyele Sowore and members of his team at Tawakalitu Restaurant in the Dalimore area of 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 arrested the suspects at their hideouts in the Atikankan area at about 10pm on Friday following a tip-off.

The police identified the suspects as Joseph Tayo, 32; Olatunji Abayomi, 41; Isaac Amba, 22; Kehinde Ajigbana, 18; Tosin David, 18; Solomon Iyanu, 18; Ogunsola Ayomide, 21; Ojo Ayodeji, 22; Kayode Dada, 32; Segun Olatunji, 28; and Salami Emmanuel, 53.

Items recovered during the arrests included two walkie-talkies, substances suspected to be Indian hemp and Colorado, two Indian hemp crushers, a pack of Rizla, seven ATM cards, 13 mobile phones, two vehicle keys, a flash drive, a 5G MTN Wi-Fi device, identity cards, eight international passports, three complimentary cards, two suspected criminal charms, a gas lighter and ₦250.

The police said investigations were ongoing to establish the individual roles of the suspects and determine their possible links to the incident.

The Commissioner of Police, Falade Michael, assured residents that anyone found culpable would be brought to justice, adding that the command would leave no stone unturned in the investigation.

Reacting to the arrests, Sowore demanded that the alleged masterminds and sponsors of the attack also be identified and prosecuted, insisting that the incident was a coordinated assault rather than an ordinary altercation.

In a post on X on Saturday, the activist described the arrests as an admission that a violent attack had occurred. He also alleged that some of those involved were associated with the City Boys group and called for investigations into possible links between the incident and officials of the Ekiti State Government.

Sowore further urged the Commissioner of Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to preserve and release CCTV footage from the scene to help establish what happened and identify everyone involved.

“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, maintaining that the investigation should extend beyond the suspects already arrested to anyone who may have planned or funded the alleged attack.