A group of men allegedly attacked Omoyele Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters, during the Lagos City Marathon on Saturday morning.
According to reports the attackers also targeted some journalists and members of Sowore’s crew, damaging their cameras and other recording equipment.
Sowore, who was the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress in the 2023 elections, shared a video of the incident on X.
“How occupying a canopy after the Lagos Marathon 10k infuriated some rogue elements who assaulted our crew members and journalists, leading to unprovoked attacks. They seized a camera from one of our journalists, insisting they view and delete all the contents because it caught them live attacking our crew in Lagos,” he wrote.
Before the event, Sowore had spoken about his love for marathon running during a press conference on Friday. He explained that long-distance races help build resilience, which he also applies to activism.
“Marathon is all about resilience, and if you cannot grow physically running anymore, you can use your brain to keep going. That’s what activism is all about. We are always being punished for what’s right, and sometimes that’s why you find yourself lonely in isolation. You need some kind of spirit of resilience to be able to continue,” he said.
The Access Bank Lagos City Marathon attracted thousands of runners, both local and international, competing in the 10km race and the full 42.5km marathon.
