Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has recounted how he allegedly escaped an assassination attempt in Ekiti State by hiding in an elderly woman’s kitchen for about 45 minutes while armed men searched nearby houses for him.

Sowore, who is the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, said about 50 men armed with cutlasses and axes pursued him and threatened to kill anyone suspected of harbouring him.

He narrated the incident on Sunday evening during the Sowore Global Security Meeting, a global emergency meeting held via Zoom and monitored by SaharaReporters.

According to him, the incident occurred after he and members of his entourage stopped at a restaurant to eat following a radio interview.

How the Attack Began

Sowore said he had finished eating and briefly left the table to wash his hands when members of his entourage alerted him that gunshots had been heard outside.

He said he immediately suspected that they were under attack and fled with Pastor Sam and another member of his team identified as Larry.

“So I took Pastor Sam. I said, ‘This is an attack. They’re trying to kill us,’” he recounted.

He alleged that the attackers pursued them as they searched for somewhere to hide. A member of his group, whom he described as a security operative carrying a pistol, helped monitor the movements of the armed men and signal when it was safe to move.

Sowore said he eventually asked Larry to help him get behind a nearby wall, a decision he described as crucial to his escape.

“I just told Larry, please let me just step inside of the wall, and that was my saving grace,” he said.

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He alleged that the attackers later arrived in large numbers, carrying cutlasses and axes.

“They just came. They were like 50 or so. They had these cutlasses. They had that axe, and I saw them and I just moved again and kept moving,” he said.

Elderly Woman Sheltered Him for 45 Minutes

Sowore said he first entered a residential compound with several rooms, where the occupants were surprised to see him running inside.

He explained that armed men were pursuing him and warned that anyone found helping him could be attacked.

An elderly man in the compound reportedly advised him against moving into another compound because the attackers could see him.

However, fearing that the men would search the rooms, Sowore moved into a neighbouring compound, where he found an elderly woman cooking in her kitchen.

He said the woman asked what was wrong, and he explained that armed men were after him.

“She said, ‘Okay, let me just sit here in my kitchen,’” he recalled.

According to Sowore, the woman quietly closed the kitchen door and allowed him to remain hidden without informing other occupants of the house.

He praised her for protecting him, saying she even went outside briefly to look for the attackers without revealing that he was inside.

“This woman was like an amazing person. She didn’t tell anybody. She even went out to look for them and came back acting like I wasn’t there,” he said.

Sowore said he remained in hiding for approximately 45 minutes while the attackers searched nearby houses and allegedly threatened to kill anyone found harbouring him.

Sowore Disputes Police Account of Rescue

The activist said he lost his phone while fleeing and could not safely return to retrieve it.

He explained that he used his smartwatch to contact people who could assist him, eventually reaching an individual identified as Philip Otoko.

“I sent him, I said, ‘You know I’m safe where I am, but I’m surrounded,’” he said.

He later received calls from another contact identified as Dr JD but initially hesitated to disclose his location because he suspected the attackers might be monitoring their communications.

Sowore said he eventually shared his location with people who could help and contacted a member of his group who was communicating with the local police.

He, however, disputed the police account that officers rescued him, insisting that he had independently contacted people and sent his location before leaving the hiding place.

“Contrary to what the police is saying, that they rescued him, they didn’t rescue me. I was the one who sent them my location,” he said.

He added that he asked someone to confirm whether police officers were on the street before emerging from the compound.

Sowore said he subsequently walked out, met the officers and was taken with other members of his entourage to a hospital.

“The police didn’t rescue me, you know, but if they call that rescue, we can give that to them,” he added.

Describing the incident, Sowore said he and members of his entourage were fortunate to have survived what he called an assassination attempt.

“First is to make it clear that this was an assassination attempt that we happen to be lucky about,” he said.