Police Probes Attack On Ondo APC Leaders, Arrests Prime Suspect

By Ayodele Oni 

Some of the leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Ondo state attacked by suspected thugs during a stakeholders meeting in Akure have taken their case to the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

Already, Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Abuja has taken up the case leading to the arrest of a prime suspect, simply known as Eniba, a member of the state branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

Those attacked by the suspected political thugs include a former State Chairman of APC, Engr. Ade Adetimehin, Otito Atikase, a commissioner of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and others leaders.

Adetimehin was allegedly slapped, dragged on the floor, and humiliated in viral social media images.

The political thugs also disrupted the stakeholders’ meeting, injuring several members and forcing party leaders to flee the scene.

Eyewitnesses recounted that the assailants, armed with broken bottles, planks, machetes, stones, and other dangerous objects, stormed the party’s secretariat while deliberations were ongoing.

The arrest followed investigation by the Force Intelligence Department (FCID) in Abuja into the February 16, 2026 incident, where political thugs reportedly attacked party leaders during the pre-congress stakeholders’ meeting.

According to report, Eniba has allegedly confessed during preliminary questioning that the group involved in the attack were mobilised and paid to disrupt the meeting.

Confirming the development, Barrister Babatunde Akintade, counsel to Atikase, described the arrest as a breakthrough in the investigation.

Akintade explained that the arrest was carried out following a directive from the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the FCID, who ordered an immediate probe into the attack.

He commended the police for the swift action and assured that his client is cooperating fully with investigators.

On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, Atikase, an APC chieftain and NDDC board member, raised alarm about the attackers storming the meeting with a clear mission to eliminate him.

Adetimehin and Atikase accused the state government of sponsoring the attack on the leaders, saying the attack was premeditated and politically motivated.

However, the Ondo State Government denied the allegations, dismissing claims that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa sponsored thugs to disrupt the meeting.

The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, in a statement, described the allegations as malicious, unfounded, and a calculated attempt to tarnish the governor’s administration.