A former Commissioner for Information, Culture, Sports, and Social Development in Ekiti State, Sir Kayode Otitoju, has alleged that a Director with the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Jimmy Odukoya, abducted and detained him for 30 hours.
He said he was handed over to officials of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, known as Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), by his abductor.
In a statement he issued, Otitoju said he was detained at KAI’s headquarters in Oshodi area of Lagos State.
The incident reportedly occurred on June 15, 2025 shortly after he attended the 8am Mass at the Catholic Church of Divine Mercy in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.
“I was kidnapped in broad daylight by Jimmy Odukoya at around 11:00 a.m. along Lekki Farms Avenue,” Otitoju alleged, adding: “He came in a LAGRIDE rented vehicle with a lady, accompanied by a KAI truck that looked like a Black Maria and four KAI officers.”
The septuagenarian, who was a former chairman of Lekki Phase 1, said he was lured to the location through a deceptive text message from a LAWMA manager, Omotola Musa.
Upon his arrival, he was immediately surrounded, forced into the task force vehicle, and had his Samsung phone seized.
He said: “They drove me straight to KAI’s headquarters in Oshodi, where I was handed over to their Commandant along with my phone.
“The Commandant was specifically instructed not to allow me access to my phone.”
Otitoju recounted that within 30 minutes of his detention, the KAI Commandant summoned him outside and instructed him to stand against the wall of his office, where his photograph was taken.
“That photograph a deliberate attempt to shame me, was immediately sent to the Hon. Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, apparently for circulation on social media and newspapers,” he claimed.
According to Otitoju, the entire episode was rooted in an article published by The Nation newspaper on May 14, 2025 (page 29), in which he accused Odukoya of being a “land grabber”.
He believes the KAI operation was an act of personal revenge aimed at silencing him over a long-standing land dispute.
He added: “How can a 70-year-old man in church attire, without any tools, single-handedly vandalise infrastructure?
“The accusation is both absurd and malicious.”
Otitoju alleged that Odukoya and the Managing Director of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, acted in that manner to paint him as a vandal, following a petition he submitted to the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos.
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He said: “Knowing that the police invitation was to be served on a Monday, they orchestrated my abduction on Sunday to keep me out of the way and discredit me with a false allegation of vandalism.
“This matter is now pending before the Magistrate Court in Oshodi.
“I didn’t get my phone back until around 5:30pm on Monday when I was granted bail.
“This entire ordeal was a clear act of intimidation, but I believe the court will expose the truth.”
Otitoju called on Lagos State authorities to thoroughly investigate the incident and hold those responsible for any abuse of power accountable.
He said: “The gangsterism displayed by Jimmy Odukoya and Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin has no place in public service.
“It’s unfortunate that the Hon. Commissioner, Mr. Wahab, may have been misled into endorsing this act by amplifying it on social media.”
As of press time, efforts to reach Odukoya, Gbadegesin, and Wahab for comment were unsuccessful.
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