Sunday Adedayo Asefon, former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Student Engagement, has refused to honour a police invitation over accusations that he brutally assaulted his 10-year-old daughter in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
The incident occurred on October 31, 2026, barely 24 hours after the violent attack on human rights activist, SaharaReporters publisher and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore and members of his team in the Ekiti State capital, in which Asefon is named as a major participant.
Sources familiar with the investigation told SaharaReporters that Asefon left Ekiti State shortly after a formal petition accusing him of child abuse and domestic violence was submitted to the Commissioner of Police, Michael Falade.
The petition, dated November 2, 2026, was submitted by A. J. Oguntuase & Co. on behalf of Asefon’s estranged wife, Mrs. Damilola Tunmise Asefon, and their 10-year-old daughter, Michelle Shileola Asefon.
The lawyers accused the presidential aide of violently assaulting his daughter at the family residence in the Odo-Ado area of Ado-Ekiti on October 31, leaving her with injuries and bleeding from her ears and head.
According to the petition, the child’s mother subsequently took her to the Odo-Ado Police Division and the Police Clinic in Ado-Ekiti for medical attention.
The petition further alleged a history of domestic violence involving Asefon and his estranged wife, including previous incidents that reportedly required hospital treatment.
According to the petition, Asefon stormed the family residence without prior notification and attacked his daughter while her mother was washing the children’s clothes behind the house.
The lawyers alleged that the presidential aide beat the girl mercilessly, leaving her with multiple injuries and bleeding from her ears and head.
The petition stated that the child was subsequently taken to the Odo-Ado Police Division and the Police Clinic in Ado-Ekiti by her mother for medical attention.
SaharaReporters also obtained a video showing the 10-year-old girl bleeding from her right ear while screaming in distress.
The lawyers described the alleged incident as child abuse, gender-based violence and a violation of the minor’s fundamental human rights, asking the police commissioner to intervene urgently and ensure that the allegations are investigated and prosecuted.
In the petition, the lawyers wrote that Asefon “violently stormed their matrimonial home, Odo-Ado axis where he has since for years now abandoned the wife and their afore-mentioned referred to two (2) children while our herein referred to first client was washing the children’s clothes behind the house.”
They further alleged that he “violently beat hell out of our herein referred to second Client Michelle Shileola Asefon mercilessly to stupor leaving with blood rushing out of her ears, head and flowing body generally.”
The petition identifies the victim as a 10-year-old girl and her mother as Asefon’s legally married wife, although the couple have reportedly been living apart for years.
It also states that a divorce petition filed by Asefon on August 19, 2026, was pending before the Ekiti State High Court in Ido-Ekiti at the time of the complaint.
Lawyers Allege History Of Domestic Violence
The petition further accuses Asefon of repeatedly assaulting his wife and children, alleging that the October 31 incident was not the first time he had physically attacked them.
The lawyers claimed that previous assaults had left the complainants seriously injured and requiring hospital treatment.
They specifically alleged that Asefon had earlier attacked his estranged wife before filing the divorce petition, leaving her with injuries that required hospital treatment.
The petition stated that the incident was reported to the then Commissioner of Police.
It also alleged that Asefon had failed to maintain regular contact with his two children, claiming that he rarely visited or checked on them.
The lawyers further alleged that the presidential aide had refused to provide assistance when the 10-year-old girl recently required specialised medical attention at Afe Babalola University Teaching Hospital for an eye condition that affected her vision.
The petition also raised allegations concerning Asefon’s relationship with another woman while his marriage to Damilola remained legally subsisting.
Fresh allegations of police interference
Police sources have now alleged that Commissioner Falade reluctantly assigned the petition to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) after pressure from the complainants’ legal representatives.
However, rather than ensuring that Asefon appeared before investigators, the commissioner allegedly alerted the presidential aide to the complaint and enabled him to leave Ekiti State.
“After the commissioner grudgingly assigned the petition for investigation, Asefon was tipped off and left the state,” a source familiar with the matter claimed.
The source told SaharaReporters that Asefon has since failed to honour the police invitation and has not been apprehended.
Asefon allegedly accused daughter of begging for money on TikTok
In another disturbing development, police sources claimed that Asefon attempted to justify the alleged assault by accusing his daughter of soliciting money from people on TikTok.
According to the sources, the presidential aide claimed that the child had been begging for financial assistance on the social media platform.
Asefon also named in allegations surrounding attack on Sowore
The child abuse allegations emerged a day after armed men attacked Sowore and members of his team at Tawakalitu Restaurant in the Dalimore area of Ado-Ekiti on October 30.
Sowore has publicly accused Asefon of participating in the planning and coordination of the attack, which the activist described as an attempted assassination.
The AAC presidential candidate has also identified individuals associated with Asefon and the Ekiti State chapter of the City Boy Movement as participants in the violence.
Among those identified is Ayodeji Akintade Ifeoluwa, popularly known as AK, whom Sowore’s team says was captured in video footage wielding a machete during the assault.
The Ekiti State Police Command has faced criticism over its handling of the October 30 incident, particularly its initial description of the violence as an altercation and allegations concerning the removal and erasure of CCTV recordings from the restaurant.
Sowore has demanded Commissioner Falade’s removal or suspension pending an independent investigation into the command’s handling of the attack.
The complainants’ lawyers had specifically requested urgent police intervention, investigation and prosecution, warning that the safety and fundamental rights of their clients remained at risk.
(SaharaReporters)