Ondo Governor, Aide Accused Of Arming Thugs To Attack Sowore, Protesters — DSS Report

A report by the Department of State Services (DSS) has revealed that Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and his Chief of Protocol, Abayomi Olusanya, allegedly sponsored and armed thugs to attack human rights activist Omoyele Sowore and other protesters during the June 12 pro-democracy march in Akure.

According to the report obtained by SaharaReporters, Olusanya, popularly known as “Yomi,” informed heads of security agencies in the state that the governor did not want any protest to hold and instructed them to prevent Sowore from entering Akure or staging any demonstration.

When the then DSS Director, Barry Donald, and the Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Olatokunbo Afolabi, declined the directive—citing the protest’s peaceful nature—Governor Aiyedatiwa reportedly threatened the police commissioner over his refusal.

Enraged by the police’s stance, the governor allegedly ordered Olusanya, who hails from Ogun State, to mobilize and arm thugs to disrupt the protest. The report stated that the armed groups took over the protest venue and attacked demonstrators, including Sowore, who narrowly escaped being caught by the assailants led by a convicted murderer from Ekiti State said to be one of the governor’s key enforcers.

Following the attack, Sowore led a protest to the Ondo State Police Command to report alleged police complicity. The commissioner of police was later removed, reportedly on the governor’s request after he met with the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over the handling of the incident.

The report further indicated that the same thugs were later used to attack the #EndBadGovernance protesters in Akure in August 2024.

It described Governor Aiyedatiwa as being “deeply opposed to any form of unrest,” noting that he frequently relied on his protocol officer, Yomi Olusanya—allegedly linked to cultists and political enforcers—for handling opposition and election matters.

Efforts by SaharaReporters to reach Olusanya for comment were unsuccessful as calls and messages to his line went unanswered.

This revelation comes months after a SaharaReporters investigation exposed how a notorious political enforcer, Gbenga Aluko—once sentenced to death for cultism and murder—led a violent attack on June 12 protesters in Akure. The Ondo government later appointed Aluko and other suspected thugs as coordinators of commercial tricycle operators in the state capital.