A former Commissioner for Information, Culture, Sports, and Social Development in Ekiti State, Sir Kayode Otitoju, has recounted a harrowing ordeal in which he was allegedly abducted by a director at the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Mr. Jimmy Odukoya,
According to Otitoju, Odukoya abducted and handed him over to the waiting officials of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, known as Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI).
He was detained at KAI’s headquarters in Oshodi for over 30 hours.
In a statement, Otitoju described the experience as humiliating and land grabbing motivated.
The incident reportedly occurred on Sunday, June 15, shortly after he attended the 8 a.m. Mass at the Catholic Church of Divine Mercy in Lekki Phase 1 Lagos.
“I was kidnapped in broad daylight by Jimmy Odukoya around 11 a.m. along Lekki Farms Avenue,” Otitoju alleged. “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, Mrs. Musa Omotola.
Upon his arrival, he was immediately surrounded, forced into the task force vehicle, and had his Samsung phone seized.
“They drove me straight to KAI’s headquarters in Oshodi, where I was handed over to their Commandant along with my phone,” he said. “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 described Mr. Odukoya as a “land grabber.” Otitoju believes the KAI operation was an act of personal revenge aimed at silencing him over a long-standing land dispute.
“How can a 70-year-old man in church attire, without any tools, single-handedly vandalize infrastructure?” he questioned. “The accusation is both absurd and malicious.”
He alleged that both 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.
“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,” Otitoju said.
“This matter is now pending before the Magistrate Court in Oshodi.”
He stated that throughout the period of detention, he was kept incommunicado and denied access to his family and contacts.
“I didn’t get my phone back until around 5:30 p.m. on Monday when I was granted bail,” he said.
“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.
“The gangsterism displayed by Jimmy Odukoya and Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin has no place in public service,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that the Hon. Commissioner, Mr. Wahab, may have been misled into endorsing this act by amplifying it on social media”.
