Police Arrest Suspected Political Thugs Linked to Serving Lawmaker in Ekiti

|By Chinwendu Nwani

The Nigeria Police Force in Ekiti State has arrested a group of suspected armed political thugs allegedly sponsored by a serving member of the House of Representatives.

The State Commissioner of Police, Falade Adegoroye Michael, announced the arrests on Friday during a press briefing.

According to the police, the suspects—described as “armed hoodlums with dangerous weapons”—were apprehended around 9pm on Thursday at Onikoyi Hotel in Ikun-Ekiti following intelligence reports about their movement into the state.

The arrested suspects were identified as Adekunle Stephen, Boluwaji Ishola, Adepoju Adebayo, Oluwatobi Adeoluwa, Akintunde Emmanuel, Ibitola Babatope and Adewale Makanjuola, while several others reportedly escaped in three vehicles.

Police said the suspects confessed to being political thugs allegedly recruited by a serving lawmaker to disrupt the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election initially scheduled for May 15, 2026, in the state.

The police commissioner said officers recovered one Beretta pistol, two pump-action guns, nine rounds of 9mm live ammunition, four cartridges, substances suspected to be charms, two Apple laptops and a Honda Accord vehicle from the suspects.

Falade said the suspects would be charged to court, adding that security agencies had launched a manhunt for the fleeing suspects and those allegedly behind the operation.

The APC primary election earlier scheduled for Friday, May 15, was later postponed to Saturday, May 16, 2026.