Story by Iyiola Ayomide
An Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), who is now retired, has been discovered to be in possession of a Toyota Highlander SUV that was allegedly stolen at gunpoint a decade ago.
The former AIG maintains that he obtained the vehicle legally by purchasing it through a public auction. Eye Ayo Samuel, the original proprietor of the SUV, stated that the vehicle was taken in 2014 after audacious burglars infiltrated his residence in Erusu Akoko, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Akoko North West Local Government Area in Ondo State.
"He stated that the occurrence took place on January 24, 2014. In addition to stealing his belongings, they also seized his N3 million white 2006 Toyota Highlander Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) with the license plate EKY 850 AJ and chassis number JTE DW 21A060004010."
After the event, Samuel mentioned that he informed the nearby police division about the incident on the subsequent day. He further stated that he reached out to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to notify them about the stolen vehicle. Samuel mentioned that there were no developments regarding the matter until he received a notification from the FRSC office in Lagos last year, informing him that the vehicle had been brought in for registration.
"He remembered:" "However, there were no significant developments until a recent revelation disclosed that the vehicle had been purchased by a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) named Olatunji Akingbola."
I was shocked when FRSC called me on my mobile phone repeatedly that my car was discovered among the vehicles whose documents were submitted for number plates, and I was furious.
The Sun newspaper had on July 21, 2015 noted that no fewer than 19 vehicles were recovered by the defunct Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FEDSARS) Adeniji Adele, Lagos.
The controversial Toyota Highlander, which was later exhibited amongst 17 vehicles due for public auction in 2015, was listed as number 6 without any registration number.
When the Nation reporters contacted AIG Akingbola, he explained that he had been invited by the Commissioner of Police in Ondo State to clarify his complicity in the controversial vehicle.
He said: “I think the man (Samuel) is just out to destroy himself and not my name. I am a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG).
“In 2014, I was the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in charge of FEDSARS, Abuja. I was incidentally moved to Adeniji Adele annex of FEDSARS for six months during which there was an auction sale of recovered vehicles.
“I was not there when the vehicle was auctioned, but the person to whom the vehicle was sold via auction approached me, saying that the car was a hybrid Toyota Highlander and that the battery was expensive. Hence, he said that he was willing to sell it to me.
“So, I bought the car for N250,000 from the person who got it through a police auction, and I found that it cost a whopping $3,000 to get a new battery for a hybrid Toyota car.
At the beginning of this year, I entrusted someone with the task of selling it on my behalf, and the individual subsequently sold it to another person who then transported it to Abuja.
"Afterwards, I learned that there was a problem with the vehicle when the new owner brought it to the FRSC. I even provided my contact details to the new owner, inviting them to call me at the FRSC office, in order to discuss the matter with the officials and find a solution."
"Out of nowhere, the Commissioner of Police contacted me and informed me that there was a complaint lodged against me regarding the discovery of a stolen vehicle in my ownership. Consequently, I paid a visit to the CP's office in order to clarify my version of events."
"I am aware of the regulations that oversee the selling of vehicles via public auctions. Subsequently, I submitted the auction sale documents to the Commissioner of Police in Ondo, who assured me that they will conduct an inquiry into the issue." "I have already given my account of the incident to a staff member of the Inspector General of Police who is responsible for this case, and I have not received any further updates on the matter so far."
In all, I followed all the necessary procedures in purchasing the car through public auction, and there are documents to validate that, which I provided during my meeting with the Ondo CP.
“The car had been bought by a man for his wife and I had to refund the money paid by the man and the vehicle was returned to me.
“So, I promised the CP that I would send the vehicle to him through my driver. I don’t want to believe that he (Samuel) thinks that I was the one who sent robbers to rob him of the vehicle.”
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