Popular actor and candidate of the Labour Party (LP) gunning for the Surulere LGA I constituency seat, Olumide Oworu said his campaign team was attacked by thugs who ambushed them at Iponri, Surulere on Thursday.
Oworu who is popularly known for his role as ‘Tari’ in the Africa Magic series ‘The Johnsons”, is fiercely contending for the seat with another actor-turned-politician Desmond Elliot, of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a tweet posted on Thursday March 16, Oworu said they had attempted to campaign in the area before the deadline announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) when the attack happened.
“My team and I were attacked on Tuesday as we attempted to campaign at Iponri, Surulere. A member of my team was injured, but we are thankful the incident didn’t escalate past the level it was,” he said.
Although the actor did not speak about bodily harm inflicted on him, a photo of him with a bloodied face has gone viral on the platform, insinuating that the attackers were responsible for the injuries.
In the photo, Oworu who was wearing a bloodstained white shirt was seated in what looked like a medic van, as blood flowed down his injured head. His nose and mouth also appeared injured.
Our Findings: Our findings revealed that the photo which has drawn both condemnation and sympathy from the public was taken on set of one of the movies the actor featured in late last year.
An analysis of the photo also showed that the photo was published on the actor’s Instagram page on 3rd October, 2022 and was therefore not as a result of the attack on his campaign team.
The actor, however, disclosed that the attack has been reported at the Iponri police station and he remains undeterred by the incident.
Verdict: While Oworu and his campaign team were attacked, the photo showing supposed injuries inflicted on the actor by thugs on Thursday is FALSE and has been deviously shared to mislead the public.
