Osun Poll: Sowore Accuses Police Of Secretly Firing Tear Gas At His Team

Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has alleged that officers of the Nigeria Police Force fired tear gas at him and members of his team while they were travelling to Osogbo, Osun State, ahead of the state governorship election.

According to Ireporter Online, Sowore made the allegation in a post on his account on Wednesday, claiming that the incident occurred after he and the police officers had engaged in what he described as a peaceful and respectful conversation.

The activist alleged that the officers later released tear gas at his group as they continued their journey to the Osun State capital.

“Despite our having a respectful and peaceful conversation with them, they secretly fired tear gas at us as we continued on our journey,” Sowore alleged.

He, however, said the incident did not prevent him and his supporters from reaching Osogbo, describing the alleged action as an unsuccessful attempt at intimidation.

Sowore also criticised the conduct of security personnel deployed for the election, stressing that their responsibility should be to protect citizens and safeguard the electoral process.

In a separate development, the activist has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of secretly continuing fuel subsidies while presenting a different picture to Nigerians.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Sowore alleged that government subsidies extended beyond petrol to include measures supporting the naira’s exchange rate against the US dollar.

He also accused the Federal Government of providing greater economic benefits to wealthy individuals through customs waivers and other concessions rather than offering meaningful relief to ordinary Nigerians.

Sowore questioned why the government would deny the existence of subsidies, arguing that subsidies themselves were not necessarily harmful when targeted at vulnerable citizens.

According to him, the removal of petrol subsidies contributed to increased economic hardship and pressure on the naira, while wealthy individuals continued to benefit from other forms of government support.