OSOGBO — Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has accused officers of the Nigeria Police Force deployed for election monitoring duties of attacking his entourage with tear gas on their way into Osogbo, the Osun State capital.
In a statement shared via his social media handle on Wednesday, Sowore disclosed that police personnel stationed along the transit corridor opened fire with tear gas after what he described as a peaceful and respectful interaction.
According to Sowore, the police contingent secretly fired canister explosives at his convoy as they resumed their journey toward the state capital, describing the action as an unprovoked attempt to intimidate political actors ahead of the gubernatorial poll.
Despite the disruption, Sowore maintained that his team pushed through the security checkpoint and safely arrived in Osogbo to proceed with their scheduled activities.
Condemning the incident, Sowore criticized the conduct of law enforcement agents, stressing that security personnel deployed for election duties should focus on safeguarding citizens and protecting the democratic process rather than harassing peaceful political figures.
The Nigeria Police Force and the Osun State Police Command have yet to issue an official statement regarding the alleged incident at the time of filing this report.
