By Bilesanmi Abayomi
A resident of Kosofe, Lagos, Segun Apena, has petitioned the Chairman of the Independent Corruption Practice Commission (ICPC) over alleged fraudulent sales of the Oworonshoki joint CDA vehicle by the Senior Special Assistant to Kosofe Local Government on Community Affairs, Hon. Segun Babatunde, and others.
It also called on the ICPC to investigate the Oko Cole transformer that the accused person allegedly sold in a suspicious manner and had earlier petitioned the Zone 2 Police Command in Onikan and Lagos at the Force Headquarters for proper investigation and prosecution.
The petition dated January 26 was signed by Mr. Segun Apena and copied to the Lagos State Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Lagos State Member House of Representative Kosofe Federal Constituency, Executive Chairman Kosofe Local Government, Oba of Oworonshoki Kingdom, Inspector General of Police, Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, and Permanent Secretary Lagos State Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, among others.
The full petition Below
Petition against Mr. Segun Babatunde of No. 30 ADEBANWO St., Oworoshoki, Lagos State (08036104040); Pastor Allen of No. 7 Ojilerut St., Oworoshoki, Lagos State (08034754285); and Other Members of the Oworoshoki Joint CDA Executives Excluding the Treasurer of the Joint CDA Over the Fraudulent Sale of an Oworoshoki Community Vehicle for Scrap Apropos the above title, I write to petition your highly esteemed anti-corruption agency over the fraudulent manner in which a vehicle belonging to Oworonshoki Community was sold at a ridiculous amount of money to a scrap dealer by the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Community Affairs to Kosofe Local Government Chairman, Mr. Segun Babatunde (08036104040), who resides at No. 30 Adebanwo Street, Oworonshoki, Lagos state; the Oworonshoki Joint CDA Chairman, Pastor Allen (08034754285; and other members of the Oworonshoki Joint CDA; Oworonshoki.
The aforementioned group of people, led by their ringleader, Mr. Segun Babatunde, who also doubles as the CDC Chairman of Kosofe Local Government Area, breached the trust and confidence reposed in them sometime in October 2022 by conspiring to sell a pick-up Nissan motor vehicle for a ridiculous amount of N150,000 (one hundred and fifty thousand nairas) to a scrap dealer at Owode-Oniri scrap market in Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State without boarding or adhering to the Public Procurement Act 2007. (Please find enclosed pictures of the vehicle.)
The motor vehicle was donated to the community in 2011 by the erstwhile executive chairman of Kosofe Local Government, Prince Muyiwa Adedeji, to enhance the security architecture of the community. The vehicle later developed a mechanical problem and was abandoned for months. Technically, the vehicle is public or community property acquired with government funds. Therefore, no group or individual has the leeway or authority to sell it capriciously without adhering strictly to the dictate of due process. But after selling the motor vehicle fraudulently for scrap, they failed to remit its proceeds into the coffers of Oworonshoki Joint CDA. They, rather, shared the money among themselves.
According to Mr. Segun Babatunde, who also doubles as the Kosofe Local Government Community Development Chairman (CDC), the vehicle was sold for scrap at a paltry sum of N150,000 (one hundred and fifty thousand naira).
But contrary to this statement, it was reliably gathered from some of his close associates that the motor vehicle was sold at N1.5 million naira. It is not out of place at this point to infer that Mr. Segun Babatunde and his accomplices used the idea of selling the vehicle for scrap as a smokescreen to deceive the people of Oworonshoki Community into believing that the motor vehicle is unserviceable, worthless, and valueless.
Furthermore, when some prominent leaders of the Oworonshoki community got wind of the scandalous disposal, they cried out to the King of Oworonshoki Kingdom, HRM Oba Babatunde Saliu, who in turn called Mr. Segun Babatunde, telling him to come and collect from him the N150,000 he claimed he sold the vehicle for and return it to the community. When the plea fell on deaf ears, the community leaders then decided to approach the scrap dealer under the guise of wanting to purchase the vehicle to ascertain the veracity of the conspiratorial theft of community property.
During the interactive discussion with the scrap dealer, whose name is Bolaji Ashiru with telephone number 08023961700, he revealed that he bought the vehicle from Kosofe Local Government CDC and had sold it to a farmer at Ijebu-Ode at a price he refused to disclose. But a similar vehicle that was seen in his workshop, which, however, was not as good as the Oworonshoki community vehicle, was being put up for sale at N2. 4 million. (Please find the enclosed picture of Bolaji Ashiru.)
The scrap dealer also revealed that he drove the vehicle from Kosofe Local Government Secretariat to his workshop at Owode-Oniri. It is, however, perplexing to note that a group of people that is saddled with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the community is the one that would take undue advantage of its position to enrich itself or line its pockets by selling one of the patrimonies of the people of Oworonshoki without permission from appropriate authorities and without remitting the proceeds of the sale of the vehicle to the account of the Joint CDA. This is a clear case of grand theft and fraud that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Committee must not condone in silent approval.
I, therefore, pray that the anti-corruption agency investigates the matter thoroughly and prosecutes the culprits to serve as a deterrent to other corrupt CDC and CDA officials in Lagos State. Already, the matter had been reported to the Zone 2 Police Command Headquarters in Onikan, and the perpetrators of the scandalous act had been summoned and quizzed. It is, however, disheartening to note that there is a calculated attempt to sweep the matter under the rug or compromise justice.
The lawmaker representing Kosofe Constituency 1, Hon. Sanni Okanlawon, signed an undertaking before DCP Bose Akinyemi of Zone 2 Police Command on January 11, 2023, promising to buy another vehicle for the community before the end of April 2023. It should be understood that the lawmaker’s undertaking to purchase another vehicle for the Oworonshoki community was done tendentiously to save his political ally from being arraigned or prosecuted after the matter had been officially reported to Zone 2 police command headquarters, Onikan.
And to my utter dismay, on Thursday, January 12, 2023, a day after the culprits were temporarily let off the hook, they violently attacked and assaulted Chief Akinola Ogunduyilemi, aka Chevron (07082222117), on the street of Oworonshoki for having the audacity to report the matter to zone 2 police command headquarters, Onikan.
(Please find enclosed copies of the police and doctor’s reports issued to him.)
According to Chief Ogunduyilemi, who is now critically ill as a result of the violent attack, six members of the Oworonshoki Joint CDA waylaid and assaulted him. His assailants are Deacon Solaja Raphael (08027791253), Samuel Oruetsajo (08080839656), Mr. Tomiwa, and three other people well known to the aforementioned.
He further revealed that Deacon Solaja Raphael, after throwing devastating blows at him, picked up a bottle and threatened to break it on his head. The resort to violent attack, harassment, intimidation, and threat to the life of the complainant is a criminal offense and shows the extent of the brazen act of impunity by which this group of people is operating in society.
Besides, the group led by its ringleader, Mr. Segun Babatunde, is notoriously known for always engaging the services of the undesirable elements in society to harass, intimidate, attack, and threaten the lives of its perceived antagonists who dare challenge its criminal acts.
I am sure an attempt will be made on my life too after submitting this petition.
I also want the anti-corruption agency to know that the “VehicleGate” scandal is not the first criminal offense these people would commit.
In 2019, their ringleader, Mr. Segun Babatunde, was alleged to have fraudulently removed an electricity transformer serving the Adebare community of Oworonshoki to the Oko Cole Community, also at Oworonshoki, with a suspicion that he sold it.
The transformer was donated to the community in 2011 by the then executive chairman of Kosofe Local Government, Prince Muyiwa Adedeji, with all relevant documents about the transformer handed over to the community (please find enclosed copies of the documents).
Mr. Segun Babatunde went to Adebare Community and deceived them into believing that the then Executive Chairman of Kosofe Local Government, Hon. Afolabi Sofola, had authorized him to take the transformer for repair. The people of the community resisted, but he forcefully took the transformer away. The transformer was later seen at the Oko-Cole community of Oworonshoki a few weeks after its fraudulent and forceful removal by Mr. Segun Babatunde.
The matter was officially reported to Zone 2 Police Command Headquarters in Onikan in September 2021 through a petition written by a community leader, Mrs. C. A. Adebare (please find the enclosed copy of her petition).
The Police investigated the matter, summoned Mr. Segun Babatunde to their office, and also quizzed the executive chairman of Kosofe Local Government, Hon. Afolabi Sofola, whom Mr. Segun Babatunde claimed authorized him to remove the transformer for repair. During interrogation at Zone 2 police command, Hon. Afolabi Sofola vehemently denied authorizing Mr. Segun Babatunde to remove or relocate any transformer, nor did he issue any authorization letter to him.
To save Mr. Segun Babatunde from being prosecuted, his surety signed an undertaking promising to provide another transformer to the community before the end of March 2022. But up until this moment, the promise made has not been fulfilled. The case is still pending at Zone 2 Police Command Headquarters, Onikan. And less than two years after they allegedly sold the Adebare Community transformer, and while the matter has not been resolved, they committed another grievous offense by selling the vehicle belonging to the Oworonshoki community.
To the best of my knowledge, the Kosofe Local Government Area Community Development Committee (CDC) and Oworonshoki Joint CDA are cesspools of corruption. All the grants the Kosofe Local Government CDC has been getting from the Lagos State Government for community self-help projects are being embezzled and mismanaged.
The ICPC should kindly look into the books and records of Kosofe Local Government Area CDC with respect to the projects it has purportedly done with all the grants it has collected.
These are just the tip of the iceberg of atrocities that Mr. Segun Babatunde and his cohorts have committed in the Oworonshoki community and Kosofe Local Government at large. But for how long shall we continue to maintain a conspiracy of silence by folding our arms and watching this group of people perpetrate fraudulent and criminal acts, go scot-free, and then commit another heinous act?
The above-cited undertakings entered into on their behalf are a ruse or gimmick to make them escape the long arm of justice. The promise will never be fulfilled. Sir, kindly use your good office to wade into this matter and allow justice to take its natural course. I thank you for your cooperation and understanding in anticipation of your swift response on this matter.
Sir, kindly use your good office to wade into this matter and allow justice to take its natural course.
I thank you for your cooperation and understanding in anticipation of your swift response on this matter.
