Human rights activist and African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has accused officers of the Nigeria Police Force of firing tear gas at him and members of his entourage while they were travelling to Osogbo, the Osun State capital, ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
Sowore made the allegation on Wednesday through a post on his verified X account, claiming that the incident occurred as he and his supporters were making their way into Osun State.
According to the activist, the group had engaged the police officers in what he described as a peaceful and respectful conversation before the officers allegedly fired tear gas at them as they continued their journey.
“Despite our having a respectful and peaceful conversation with them, they secretly fired tear gas at us as we continued on our journey,” Sowore said in his account of the incident.
The allegation comes just days before the Osun State governorship election scheduled for August 15, with security agencies maintaining a strong presence across the state as political parties and their supporters prepare for the poll.
The development has added to concerns surrounding the security arrangements for the election. The African Democratic Congress had earlier raised concerns about what it described as a heavy deployment of security personnel in Osun, warning that the state was beginning to resemble a “war zone.”
The allegation against the police also comes against the backdrop of previous confrontations between Sowore and security agencies. In June, during a Democracy Day protest in Abuja, police officers fired tear-gas canisters at demonstrators, with Sowore accusing the police of deploying the substance at close range.
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