EXCLUSIVE: Inside the Plot — How Governor Aiyedatiwa and Protocol Chief “Yomi” Allegedly Orchestrated Attacks on Sowore and June 12 Activists in Akure
Intelligence gathered by Sahara Reporters has revealed how Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and his Chief of Protocol, Abayomi Olusanya, allegedly mobilised and armed thugs to attack human rights activist Omoyele Sowore and other pro-democracy campaigners during the June 12 protest in Akure.
According to the report obtained by Sahara Reporters, Olusanya — popularly known as “Yomi” — allegedly conveyed Governor Aiyedatiwa’s directive to heads of security agencies in the state, stressing that no form of protest should be allowed in Akure.
“The governor has said no protest must hold here,” Yomi reportedly told security operatives in a message shared before the protest.
Sources told PulseNets that both the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Barry Donald, and the then Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Olatokunbo Afolabi, resisted the order, insisting that the demonstration was peaceful and lawful. Governor Aiyedatiwa, however, reportedly called the CP directly, threatening him to “make sure the protest does not happen under any circumstance.”
When the Commissioner maintained that police would provide security for the protesters, the governor was said to have become furious, vowing to deploy “his own men” to handle the situation since, in his words, “the police were not cooperating.”
Sahara Reporters learnt that Yomi Olusanya, a native of Ogun State, later mobilised and armed thugs who stormed the protest venue. The attackers violently disrupted the demonstration, targeting Sowore and other activists. Sowore narrowly escaped being caught by the group, which was allegedly led by a convicted murderer from Ekiti State — identified as one of the governor’s key enforcers.
Following the violent attack, Sowore led a protest to the Ondo State Police Command, accusing officers of complicity in the assault.
“We were attacked in broad daylight while the police looked on helplessly,” Sowore said after the incident.
Shortly after the protest, Commissioner Afolabi was abruptly removed from office. According to sources who spoke to PulseNets, Governor Aiyedatiwa personally visited Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun to lobby for his removal, citing the CP’s refusal to clamp down on Sowore and members of the Take-It-Back Movement.
Intelligence obtained by Sahara Reporters further indicated that the IGP, already at odds with Sowore, questioned why the CP had allowed the activist to “take over the command gate without even using teargas or warning shots.” The IGP then immediately redeployed the CP and replaced him with another officer.
The report also revealed that the same group of hired thugs was redeployed by the governor in August 2024 to attack #EndBadGovernance protesters in Akure.
Sources told PulseNets that Governor Aiyedatiwa has shown “zero tolerance for public dissent” and relies heavily on Yomi, his Chief Protocol Officer, for “dirty political operations.” Yomi is said to have strong ties with cult groups and political thugs often used by the governor to influence elections and silence opposition.
Efforts by PulseNets to contact Yomi Olusanya for comment were unsuccessful as his mobile line remained unreachable and messages sent to him were not returned as of press time.
Earlier in June, Sahara Reporters detailed how Gbenga Aluko, a notorious political enforcer, led an assault on Sowore and other June 12 protesters in Akure. The peaceful rally, organised to demand good governance and economic justice, was violently disrupted by thugs allegedly working with police operatives.
Eyewitnesses told PulseNets that Aluko, a former member of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), commanded a group of cultists who ambushed the protesters at Cathedral Junction, Akure, around 7:30 a.m.
“We were singing peacefully when they came from behind, shouting, ‘Sowore is here — attack him!’” one witness recalled.
Sowore’s convoy quickly retreated to safety as the attackers chased on foot. Despite several complaints, Sahara Reporters learnt that the Ondo State Police Command never launched an investigation into the attack nor responded to Sowore’s petitions.
The state police spokesperson, Ibukun Odunlami, did not answer calls or respond to text messages sent to her phone.
Conviction and Controversial Appointment
Further findings by Sahara Reporters revealed that Gbenga Aluko was sentenced to death in September 2020 by the Ekiti State High Court in Ado-Ekiti for offences relating to cultism and murder. Justice Abiodun Adesodun ruled that the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that Aluko, then 29, was a member of the Eiye Confraternity and had participated in the killing of three persons.
However, in March 2023, the same court acquitted and discharged him after a controversial appeal process.
Shockingly, Aluko and other known cultists were later appointed by the Ondo State Government as coordinators of commercial tricycle (Keke) riders in Akure South Local Government Area.
A letter of appointment dated September 15, 2025, signed by Comrade Bola Taiwo, Special Adviser to the Governor on Union Matters and Special Duties, confirmed the appointments of Robert Tolulope, Oladapo Oluwaseun (aka Choco Milo), Gbenga Aluko, John Oluwatimilehin (aka Gaga), and Faleye Oluwadamilare (aka Aperi).
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According to the document, they were tasked with supervising tricycle operations, selling government revenue tickets, ensuring orderliness, and submitting weekly reports to the office of the Special Adviser.
Civil rights groups have since condemned the development, warning that empowering convicted and violent individuals could “further endanger democracy and embolden political thuggery” in Ondo State.
