A report by the Department of State Services (DSS) has alleged that Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and his Chief of Protocol, Abayomi Olasanya, armed and deployed thugs to attack human rights activist Omoyele Sowore and others during a June 12 pro-democracy rally in Akure.
According to findings obtained by newsmen, Olasanya, popularly known as Yomi, had informed heads of security agencies in the state that the governor did not want any protest to hold in Akure. He reportedly instructed them to prevent Sowore from entering the city or to stop him from participating in the demonstration.
When the DSS Director, Barry Donald, and the then Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Olatokunbo Afolabi, explained that the protest was peaceful and could not be legally stopped, Governor Aiyedatiwa allegedly called the police chief directly, warning him to ensure the rally did not proceed.
Sources said the CP assured the governor that security personnel would be deployed to maintain order. However, the governor, angered by what he perceived as noncompliance, allegedly threatened to “use his own men” to stop the protest.
The report claimed that Olasanya subsequently mobilised and armed a group of thugs, said to be led by a convicted murderer from Ekiti State, who disrupted the march. The attackers allegedly targeted Sowore and other activists, forcing the protest to end abruptly. Sowore narrowly escaped unharmed.
After the assault, Sowore and other protesters reportedly marched to the Ondo State Police Command to lodge a formal complaint about the attack and the alleged collusion of security officers.
Shortly after the incident, it was learned that the police commissioner was removed from office, allegedly on the orders of Governor Aiyedatiwa, who met privately with the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun. The IGP, who reportedly had past disagreements with Sowore, was said to have expressed anger that the protesters were not dispersed more forcefully and replaced the CP immediately.
The DSS report further alleged that the same network of thugs was used again in August 2024 to attack participants of the #EndBadGovernance protest in Akure.
According to the report, Governor Aiyedatiwa is known to oppose any public demonstrations in the state and relies heavily on Olasanya to suppress them. The Chief of Protocol is also alleged to have close ties to cult groups and political enforcers frequently used during elections and against opposition figures.
Efforts by the press to obtain comments from Olasanya were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to him went unanswered.
Earlier in June, the outlet had also reported how Gbenga Aluko, a well-known political enforcer and former member of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), led another group of armed men who attacked June 12 protesters in Akure.
Witnesses said the attackers ambushed peaceful demonstrators who were being monitored by the police, near Cathedral Junction around 7:30 a.m., while officers on the scene failed to intervene.
Sowore, who was part of the march, was nearly assaulted after the thugs shouted, “Sowore is here, let’s get him!” forcing him to retreat to safety.
Despite repeated calls from the activist for an investigation, the Ondo State Police Command has yet to take any action or provide a statement on the attack. Attempts to reach the command’s spokesperson, Ibukun Odunlami, were unsuccessful as his phone line went unanswered and text messages were ignored.
