The Take It Back Movement has condemned the alleged brutal attack on the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, the National Chairman, Pastor Samuel Ajeigbe, and other members of the movement in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

The Ekiti State Police Command, in a statement on Friday, said Mr Sowore and his team were allegedly involved in an altercation with some thugs at a restaurant and sustained minor injuries during the incident.

The command further dismissed allegations of kidnapping involving Mr Sowore, noting that an investigation had been launched into the incident.

TIB, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Sanyaolu Juwon, on Friday, expressed outrage over the incident and accused the police of minimising its gravity “through an official statement that insults the intelligence of Nigerians and compounds the trauma of the victims”.

“Let us be absolutely clear: Sowore and his entourage were attacked. There was no altercation,” the movement said.

According to the statement, the injuries sustained by Mr Sowore, as evident in the images and accounts emerging from the incident, were deeply disturbing.

“The severity of the injuries makes the Police Command’s description of the incident as a mere “altercation” and the injuries as “minor” particularly outrageous,” it added.

The movement further questioned the police narrative and accused the command of taking Nigerians for a ride.

“What exactly does the Police Command take Nigerians for? Must victims of violence be reduced to statistics and their injuries downplayed before the Police can acknowledge the seriousness of an attack? Is the official responsibility of the Police now to manage public perception on behalf of those suspected of perpetrating violence rather than investigate and bring offenders to justice?

“The Police Command must understand that its responsibility is to protect citizens, investigate crimes and apprehend perpetrators, not to trivialise violence or manufacture convenient narratives. A press release cannot erase injuries. Official titles cannot whitewash violence. And the authority of the Police cannot be used to intimidate victims into silence,” it noted.

TIB said that allegations of complicity and misconduct involving security personnel must not be swept aside, calling on the government and the police to address the incident.

“We also condemn the failure of the Ekiti State Government, under Governor Biodun Oyebanji, to ensure an environment where citizens and political actors can exercise their constitutional freedoms without fear of violence. The Governor must publicly address this incident and demonstrate that the protection of lives and fundamental rights in Ekiti State is not conditional on political affiliation,” it explained.

The movement further warned the All Progressives Congress against attacking opposition figures, adding that no political party had the licence to turn Nigeria into a territory where dissent attracts violence and opposition voices are treated as enemies.

“Nigeria is not a one-party state. Ekiti State is not the private property of the APC. And no amount of political intimidation will extinguish the constitutional right of Nigerians to organise, protest, campaign and demand accountability from those in power.

“If anyone believes that attacking Omoyele Sowore or members of the Take It Back Movement will weaken our resolve, they have fundamentally misunderstood the character of this struggle. We will not retreat. We will not surrender our rights. We will not be intimidated into silence,” it added.