BREAKING: POLICE ARREST SUSPECT OVER ATTACK ON NDDC COMMISSIONER OTITO ATIKASE DURING ONDO APC MEETING

POLICE ARREST SUSPECT OVER ATTACK ON NDDC COMMISSIONER OTITO ATIKASE DURING ONDO APC MEETING

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a suspected member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), identified as “Eniba,” in connection with the violent attack on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Commissioner, Otito Atikase, during a political gathering at the All Progressives Congress (APC) State Secretariat in Akure, Ondo State.

The arrest followed a high-level investigation by the Force Intelligence Department (FID) in Abuja into the February 17, 2026 incident in which suspected political thugs reportedly stormed the APC secretariat and disrupted a stakeholders’ meeting ahead of the party’s ward congresses in the state.

Confirming the development, Barrister Babatunde Akintade, Principal Partner at Babatunde Akintade Legal Consult and legal counsel to Atikase, described the arrest as a major breakthrough in the investigation. According to him, the arrest was carried out following a directive from the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Intelligence Department, Mohammed Usaini Gumel, who ordered an immediate probe into the attack.

Akintade said the suspect, who was among those named in the official complaint filed by Atikase, has been taken into custody and is currently in detention in Abuja while investigators continue their work. He added that his client is cooperating fully with the police by providing statements and other materials required for the investigation.

According to preliminary findings, the suspect allegedly confessed during questioning that the group involved in the attack had been mobilised and paid to assassinate the NDDC commissioner. Atikase had earlier alleged that the attackers openly declared their intention to eliminate him during the incident.

The attack reportedly occurred during a pre-congress stakeholders’ meeting convened to discuss preparations for the APC ward congress across the 203 wards in Ondo State. According to accounts from those present, a large group of armed men allegedly invaded the secretariat wielding cutlasses, clubs and other weapons, causing panic and forcing party leaders and members to flee the venue.

Atikase alleged that more than 100 attackers stormed the meeting in a coordinated manner and assaulted several party officials. Among those reportedly attacked during the incident were the APC State Chairman, Ade Adetimehin; former Commissioner for Sports, Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye; and Atikase himself.

Following the incident, the NDDC commissioner publicly accused Ondo State Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa of being behind the attack, alleging that the violence was politically motivated and targeted specifically at him.

However, the Ondo State Government has distanced itself from the incident and strongly denied any involvement. In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, the government described the allegations as malicious, unfounded and a calculated attempt to tarnish the image of the governor and his administration.

The government maintained that Governor Aiyedatiwa was neither aware of nor connected to the meeting in question and could not have authorised any act of violence. Authorities said investigations into the incident are ongoing and that further arrests may be made as security agencies work to establish the full circumstances surrounding the attack.