Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Oyo State Police Command has confirmed an attack on hundreds of loyalists and supporters of the Accord Party governorship candidate in the state, Oriyomi Hamzat, by suspected hoodlums in Molete, Ibadan South-West Local Government Area. The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, confirmed the incident in a telephone conversation with journalists on Wednesday, saying, "I am aware of the attacks. The loyalists of Hamzat were ambushed during a peaceful procession at Molete end of the ancient city." The attack occurred around 1 pm at Molete Under Bridge, causing panic as traders and residents scampered for safety.
Hamzat, a radio presenter and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Agidigbo 88.7 FM, Ibadan, was welcomed back to Nigeria from the United Kingdom late on Tuesday night. The procession was organised to welcome him home and was expected to continue from the Ibadan Toll Gate end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and terminate at the headquarters of Agidigbo FM along the Iwo Road-Ojoo Expressway. According to eyewitnesses, trouble started when members of the campaign team attempted to paste posters in the area, prompting suspected hoodlums to attack them with stones and bottles while brandishing cutlasses.
Vehicles in the campaign convoy and those belonging to passers-by were reportedly vandalised, while some supporters sustained injuries. One eyewitness, who did not want her name in print, said the aggrieved supporters insisted that no amount of intimidation from any person or group of persons would stop them from supporting their preferred candidate. Another eyewitness, who identified himself simply as Kola, said, "This is democracy. You have the right to support any candidate of your choice. We ought to have outgrown this kind of politics of bitterness and thuggery in Oyo." Kehinde Olaiya said, "Some of our members were injured during this unprovoked attack. Also, some of the vehicles in our convoy were vandalised." He added, "Hamzat is a man of peace. We have left the place."
The spokesperson for the Accord governorship candidate, Samuel Ibikunle, popularly known as Arugbo Boiz, denied that there was any fracas. According to Ibikunle, the Accord Party began its procession from the Bode area and encountered trouble upon reaching Molete, where he alleged that some hoodlums started throwing stones and bottles at party members in an attempt to intimidate them. He said the Accord members, whom he described as law-abiding, continued with the procession despite the alleged provocation and intimidation. Ibikunle alleged that the hoodlums persisted in their attack, resulting in a woman sustaining injuries. He said the woman was promptly taken to an undisclosed hospital for medical attention. He said the party reported the development to the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, who he claimed responded swiftly by deploying additional security personnel to the area to ensure the safety of residents and political supporters. When asked to identify the political party allegedly behind the hoodlums, Ibikunle reportedly said the group was led by an individual known as "Star Boy." The Accord spokesperson further alleged that the individual was associated with a political party, which he said could be either the All Progressives Congress or the Allied Peoples Movement. However, he did not establish which party the alleged leader belonged to.
The intervention of Hamzat and security operatives reportedly helped to calm frayed nerves and prevent the supporters from launching a reprisal attack. Eyewitnesses explained that Hamzat, described as a man of peace, personally intervened to prevent his supporters from engaging the hoodlums. Security personnel from Operation Burst reportedly arrived at the scene to maintain law and order and prevent further escalation of the situation. Police personnel were also deployed to the scene to restore normalcy. The incident has raised concerns over political intolerance and the safety of political activities in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The attack on Hamzat's supporters is the latest in a series of violent incidents involving the Accord Party and its candidate. In June 2026, Hamzat alleged a plot to plant hard drugs within the premises of his radio station and frame him for criminal activities as a pretext for sealing or demolishing the media outfit. The same month, the Oyo State Police Command raided a residence in the Gbeku area of Olodo, Ibadan, recovering firearms, ammunition, charms and campaign-branded materials belonging to Hamzat from the apartment of a suspect. Hamzat denied any involvement with the suspect. In August 2026, a governorship aspirant of the Accord Party, Hon. Olakunle Busari, approached the Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, seeking to strip Hamzat of the party's governorship ticket. The legal dispute and the violent incidents have combined to create a tense political atmosphere in Oyo State.
The political context of the attack is significant. The 2027 general elections are less than four months away, with the governorship and state assembly elections scheduled for February 6. Governor Seyi Makinde, who is completing his second and final term, is contesting the presidency on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement, with former Director-General of the Department of State Services Lawal Daura as his running mate. The Accord Party, which won the 2026 Osun State governorship election, is seeking to consolidate its position in the South-West, and Hamzat's candidacy represents a significant challenge to the established political order in Oyo State. The National Peace Committee has recorded 60 election-related incidents within one month, including political violence, intimidation, threats and misinformation, and has warned political actors against inflammatory campaigns. The committee has directed parties, candidates and their supporters to immediately stop false, inflammatory or inciting communication and to uphold the commitments made under the National Peace Accord signed in August.
For the people of Oyo State, the attack on Hamzat's supporters is a reminder that the political season is entering a dangerous phase. For the Accord Party, it is further evidence that its candidates and supporters face a hostile environment as they seek to compete in the 2027 elections. For the police, the incident is a test of their willingness to investigate and prosecute those responsible for political violence, regardless of their political affiliations. As the supporters put it, this is democracy, and the right to support any candidate of one's choice should not be threatened by violence. The coming weeks will determine whether the attack is properly investigated and whether the perpetrators are held accountable, or whether it becomes another entry in the long list of political violence incidents that have gone unpunished in Nigeria's electoral history.
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