Contrary to earlier viral information that he was shot with a gun, it was learnt that Sowore, an activist, publisher of SaharaReporters and presidential candidate of African Action Congress in the 2019 general election was hit by a teargas canister fired by the police while he and others were trying to gain entrance into the Unity Fountain on Monday morning.

According to an aide, the publisher was speaking with a detachment of police officers stationed at the Fountain Unity Fountain when he was shot by a female police officer.

In an interview with Premium Times, the Publicity Secretary of African Action Congress (AAC), Olorunfemi Adeyeye, identified the police officer who shoot the activist as ACP Atine.

He said Sowore and other activists were at the Unity Fountain to protest against the worsening security situation in Nigeria, but they discovered that the gate was locked.

“While we got there, we were trying to engage with the police officers (most senior of them) who then said it’s an order from the commissioner of police that there should not be demonstrations. We tried to contest that.

In fact, we even called the CP and he said he was not aware of such order. We told them that it is unlawful and that you cannot dictate that people should not protest. Not at this particular time when insecurity, which is the major problem, is ravaging the country.

“People were converging and more persons were joining. We’ve not even started anything when this police officer, ACP Atine, mobilised police officers to the place and the first was a shot. It was directed to him — At a very close range.”