Contrary to Senator Olamilekan Adeola’s indictment of the
Nigerian Army as the killers of his aide, Adeniyi Sanni, investigations by the
police have shown that officers of the Army knew nothing about Sanni’s death.
Recall that the lawmaker lost his aide, Sanni, in the early
hours of Saturday, August 5, 2023 under a mysterious circumstance.
Sanni was declared missing after calling his wife that he
was at a checkpoint manned by some men in military uniform.
Moments later, the wife had raised the alarm that she could
not reach her husband again.
A search party was immediately put in place and Sanni’s
lifeless body was later discovered by the roadside.
The wife was said to have been contacted by passers-by
through the next-of-kin phone number on Sanni’s driver’s licence that his
corpse was dumped around the Toyota Bus-stop in Oshodi, Lagos with gunshot
wounds.
Pained by the gruesome murder of his closest aide, Senator
Adeola made damning allegations against the Nigerian Army, saying its officers
killed Sanni and stole his car.
Adeola, in a statement through his media aide, Kayode
Odunaro, had claimed that he was of the firm belief that soldiers from the 9
Brigade, Ikeja Cantonment of the Nigerian Army killed his aide.
He was of the firm belief that his aide was killed by a
syndicate of soldiers operating under the newly deployed Commander of 9
Brigade, Ikeja Cantonment of the Nigeria Army, Brigadier General Nsikan Edet,
through the mounting of checkpoints and robbing of lone occupants of cars.
“Top Police sources familiar with the investigation informed
me that a similar brutal killing and armed robbery occurred around the same
Ojodu-Berger late Thursday night of August 17, 2023, resulting in the killing
of another Nigerian whose body was discovered around Iyana-Ipaja after he was
taken away by soldiers from the checkpoint.
“Unknown to the soldiers, the occupant of the car they
killed and took away his car was the second car in a convoy of two heading
towards the same destination.
“The first car passed the soldiers checkpoint but the second
car was stopped to check his vehicle’s papers.
“On noticing the absence of the second car after a while,
the occupant of the first car (name withheld) placed a call to his colleague in
the second car who informed him that he was being taken to Iyana Ipaja by the
soldiers at the checkpoint.
“That was the last he heard from him and his dead body was
later discovered dumped on the road just like Mr. Sanni.
“The survivor in the first car reported the case to the
Police and a pattern of armed robbery and killing in the area involving men in
Army uniform was established,” the Ogun West Senator alleged.
Adeola did not mince words when he dragged the police into
his allegation by stating that top police sources familiar with the
investigation informed him that such killings had been taking place at the
so-called military checkpoint.
Apart from Adeola, some young men in Lagos also complained
of being harassed by the men in military uniform, whose targets are new cars
moving on the road.
According to them, these men in military uniform go after
new cars, kill their drivers and take away the cars.
Perhaps, Adeola relied on these pieces of information to
buttress his conviction that Sanni was killed by soldiers of the Nigerian Army.
Apparently disturbed by the allegations of killing and
robbery against its men, the Army said the allegations were being investigated
with the police to unravel the identities of the killers in military uniform.
The acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 81
Division NA, Lt. Col Olabisi Ayeni, had in August said the army was
investigating the matter.
Allegation brings back memories of alleged EndSARS massacre
After the Ogun West Senator raised allegations against the
Nigerian Army, youths on social media wasted no time in having a recall of the
much controversial ‘massacre’ at the Lekki Toll Gate during the EndSARS protest
on October, 20, 2020.
To the teeming Nigerian youths, who have also been of the
belief that protesters were massacred by soldiers during the EndSARS protest in
Lekki, Adeola’s allegations were an attestation.
Once again, youths took to the social media to recall how
soldiers allegedly shot at armless protesters in Lekki, reminding the Senator
that he was one of those who denied that people were massacred at Lekki Toll
Gate.
Arrest of suspects
brings a twist
However, Adeola’s “firm belief” that soldiers killed his
aide became what many would call a ‘false allegation’, following the arrest of
the suspected killers of Sanni.
Though it was established that the men were in military
uniform during the operation, they had since confessed that they were never men
of the Nigerian Army.
While parading the suspects at the police headquarters in
Ikeja on September 18, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa,
identified them as Fred Azeez Okunnu (43 years), Lucky Idudu Michael (33 years)
and Adedigba Segun (26 years). They were arrested in Lagos and Oyo States.
The men, who were named ex-convicts, were arrested with
military camouflage vest, military jungle hat, military holster, jungle boots,
and one Red Honda CRV registered as, EKY 276 JD.
The CP had revealed that the gang was being armed by one
Alhaji in Benin Republic, who specializes in robbing motorists of their
unregistered vehicles.
How we killed Sanni –
Suspects confess
Okunnu, the oldest of the three suspects narrated that the
incident happened at Ojodu Berger area, around midnight on August 5.
“One of us, who was ahead of us, gave a signal that a car
was coming with no number plate. It was a black Toyota Camry, a 2017 model.
Lucky was putting on a (military) camouflage uniform, and holding a torch.
“Lucky stopped the car on the other side. I ran down to join
him. I asked the man (slain aide) for the document of the car. The man was on a
call.
“He (Sanni) said the document was right inside the car. Then
the man said, ‘What else do you guys want again? I’ve given you guys everything
you wanted.’ He started shouting for help, he pulled out and was screaming
‘Thief’. He wanted to raise the alarm.
“So, I shot at him, and before I knew it, Lucky also fired
shots, which hit the man and he fell. My partner, Segun, and I decided to put
him in the back of the seat and we drove off. He was still breathing, but he
was still shouting.
“My partner then stabbed him and I asked him why. We then
dropped him by the side of the road and drove down to Abeokuta, Ogun State. It
was from there we moved to Iseyin, en route to Benin Republic,” the suspect
confessed.
DAILY POST reports that the confession of the suspects was
in sharp contrast with the claim of the Senator that those who murdered his
aide were soldiers from the Ikeja Cantonment of the Nigeria Army.
I will soon react to
circumstances surrounding my aide’s death – Adeola insists
It appears Adeola is not yet convinced that the assailants
were not men of the Nigerian Army.
Speaking through his media aide, Odunaro, Adeola said he would
still react officially to the circumstances surrounding the death of Sanni
based on the information at his disposal.
“While appreciating the efforts of the security agencies,
particularly the Nigeria Police Force and the media for the current development
in the case, the Senator is monitoring the development in the investigation,
including the recovery of military items and the trans-national revelation.
“In due course, he (the Senator) will officially react to
the circumstances surrounding the death of his aide with information available
to him on the sad incident. Thank you for your interest,” Odunaro said.
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