By Odeh Favour Adiya
Chaos and panic broke out in Abuja today, June 12, 2026, as the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, reportedly fainted during a protest after security operatives fired tear gas canisters to disperse demonstrators.
The incident happened during a peaceful rally organized by civil society groups to mark Democracy Day and to demand immediate government action against the rising wave of banditry, kidnapping, and insecurity across the nation.
Before the gathering was forcefully disrupted, the demonstrators were seen carrying various placards with bold inscriptions highlighting the plight of Nigerian children. Some of the placards carried by the protesters read “Child Should Fear School”, while others bore the inscription “Makinde, Where Are The Children?” to heavily protest the mass abductions of students and demand the immediate rescue of all kidnapped citizens.
Addressing the crowd during the demonstration, Sowore strongly condemned the state of the nation and directly accused the administration of failing the people.
He said, “Either by negligence or by his own conspiracy, what I mean is what people are doing in Nigeria is more than what politics and terrorism do to Nigerians. We are no longer pretending that we can continue like this. One of the things you will be asking for is for Tinubu to resign if he cannot continue in the illegitimate position that he took in 2023, and that is why we are back on the street on June 12, 2026.”
Eyewitnesses at the scene reported that shortly after, a combined team of armed police officers intercepted the protesters and fired tear gas canisters at the crowd at close range.
Sowore, who was at the forefront of the march, was heavily affected by the toxic fumes, making him collapse on the spot before he was quickly carried by a group of protesters.
A video circulating online shows the chaotic moment a visibly unconscious Sowore was rushed out of the crowd and put into a waiting car to be taken away from the scene.
As of the time of filing this report, the exact health condition of the presidential candidate remains unknown, and the Federal Capital Territory Police Command has not released any official statement regarding the incident.
