TAKE-IT-BACK MOVEMENT TAKES SOWORE ATTACK TO FBI, US, UK, CANADA

The Take-It-Back Movement Global has petitioned the governments of the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, alongside international law enforcement and human rights institutions, over the attack on human rights activist and African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, and members of his team in Ekiti State.

The FBI petition, described in an international security alert dated October 31, 2026, characterised the October 30 incident in Ado-Ekiti as a possible case of politically motivated violence and demanded an independent investigation into allegations that individuals linked to the Ekiti State Government were involved, ValidViewNetwork reports.

THE PETITION

The notice, signed by the movement’s Director-General, Arc. Dr. Chidi Cadet Nwanyanwu, was addressed to several institutions, including the FBI, the US Department of State, Global Affairs Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the United Nations human-rights office, and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Domestic institutions were also notified.

THE ALLEGATIONS

The movement said accounts from the victims indicated that the attackers used dangerous weapons, damaged vehicles, and stole personal belongings, with some victims requiring medical attention.

“This is no longer an ordinary matter of political intimidation. It is a matter of life, human rights and possible abuse of state security apparatus,” the organisation said.

It accused the Ekiti State Police Command of attempting to portray the incident as an ordinary disagreement, insisting that the allegations required a thorough criminal investigation.

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The organisation said Sowore had publicly identified the alleged leader of the attackers as someone known to him who reportedly holds an appointment as a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Biodun Oyebanji.

The group also raised concerns over Sowore’s account that members of his security detail did not retaliate during the attack because they reportedly recognised some security operatives accompanying the alleged leader as personnel attached to the Ekiti State Government House.

It called for an independent investigation into the identities, deployment records, and command structure of all security operatives present, as well as Sowore’s allegation that DSS operatives monitored his movements.

THE US CONNECTION

The movement urged the FBI, the US Department of Justice, and the Department of State to examine the incident, noting that Sowore is a United States lawful permanent resident, commonly known as a Green Card holder.

It requested that the FBI consider engaging Nigerian law-enforcement authorities through appropriate international liaison channels where jurisdiction and established procedures permit, while clarifying that Sowore’s permanent residency does not automatically confer American criminal jurisdiction over an assault committed in Nigeria.

WHY IT MATTERS

The internationalisation of the Sowore attack is a significant escalation in a case that has already exposed the dangers faced by opposition figures in Nigeria.

By petitioning the FBI, the US State Department, and the governments of Canada and the UK, the Take-It-Back Movement is signalling that it does not trust Nigerian institutions to investigate the attack impartially.

For the Ekiti State Government, the allegations are serious. If government-linked individuals were involved in the attack, it would confirm the worst fears about the politicisation of security apparatus in Nigeria. If they were not, the government has a duty to clear its name.

The petitions have been filed. The international community is watching. And Sowore’s safety remains a concern. ValidViewNetwork reports.