How gunmen abducted me, by politician

A politician, who was abducted by four armed robbers, has revealed how the incident and the magnificent role played by policemen attached to the Lagos State Command.

The politician, Williams Akintunde, who said he is aspiring to be the next local government chairman in Festac, said that he was shocked when four armed men, appeared out of the blues as he was honking for security men at the front of his office gate and carted him away in his car.

They drove him around town aimlessly and finally dropped him off at Onipanu. Before they dropped him off however, they stripped him naked, leaving only his boxers.

According to Akintunde, the incident happened on Monday and on Tuesday, operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, had already arrested the suspects and recovered his car.

Recalling the incident vividly, Akintunde said: “It happened on September 14, 2015. I was on the verge of entering my office at Iyano-Isolo, when I was abducted with my car. Four men, carrying rifles, wearing regular clothes, appeared from nowhere! The time was between 5:30 and 6am. I was honking for the security men to open the gate, who were night duty to open the gate. Before I knew it, the four armed men appeared.”

Akintunde said that they pointed rifle at him and coldly ordered him to wind down his windscreen. They further ordered him to open his car door. 

They dragged him from the driver’s seat and bundled him into the back seat. One of the men took over the wheels of the car and the second guy sat in front with him. The other two sat with Akintunde at the back seat.

Akintunde sat quietly, wondering what they wanted to do to him. He didn’t wish to antagonise the bandits and had quickly told them that his car had inbuilt security and could halt at any time. He magnanimously showed them how to disconnect the security.

The robbers drove through Iyano-Isolo, to Mushin and Ilupeju. They later drove into Ikorodu Express Road. They didn’t seem to have a destination in mind.

 Akintunde said: “They stripped me naked, collected all my phones, laptop and other valuables I had in the car. They took all my clothes and left me in my boxers. They dropped me off at Onipanu Express Road. Where they dropped was not far from the Onipanu Bridge.  I walked to the taxi driver park.  Some of the cab drivers thought something was wrong with me. But I had to explain to them and begged them to assist me.

“One of them gave me his phone. I quickly called my father. My dad is the chairman Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Area E, Command. My dad quickly got in touch with the police and later drove down to Onipanu to pick me. The police radio police stations and posts. The police did a good job. I heard it on the radio. They announced that a Gold Camry car had been stolen. I was surprised.”

The following day, Akintude was shocked to get a call from his boss, telling him that police had recovered his car. Akintunde later discovered that SARS men intercepted the robbers the following day around 1:am. The police found a call-card in the car and called the number on the car. The card belonged to Akintunde’s boss. When police called the man, he alerted Akintunde.

“The good part was that it took the police less than 24 hours to recover my car. The car was taken on Monday morning and on Tuesday around 1am, it was recovered.”

The chairman of Festac PCRC, Mr. Anthony  Babatunde Williams, said the recovery of his son’s car by the police in less than 24 hours, showed that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni and his men were battle ready for armed robbers. “If a car was stolen at gun point and in less than 24 hours it was recovered, it means Lagos Police Command are really working,” said Williams.