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Tag: Kayode Otitoju

  • How I was bundled after church, detained in KAI office, by ex-commissioner Otitoju

    How I was bundled after church, detained in KAI office, by ex-commissioner Otitoju

    A former Commissioner for Information, Culture, Sports, and Social Development in Ekiti State, Kayode Otitoju, has alleged that he was abducted by a director at the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Mr. Jimmy Odukoya, and handed over to officials of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, known as Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI).

    Otitoju claimed he was unlawfully detained at KAI’s headquarters in Oshodi for over 30 hours in an incident he described as humiliating and allegedly motivated by a land-grabbing scheme.

    In a statement made available to The Nation on Tuesday, the septuagenarian recounted that the incident took place on Sunday, June 15, shortly after attending the 8:00 a.m. Mass at the Catholic Church of Divine Mercy, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.

    “I was kidnapped in broad daylight by Jimmy Odukoya at around 11:00 a.m. along Lekki Farms Avenue,” Otitoju stated. “He arrived in a LAGRIDE vehicle accompanied by a lady, a KAI truck resembling a Black Maria, and four KAI officers.”

    The former Lekki Phase 1 residents’ association chairman said he was lured to the location through a deceptive text message from a LAWMA manager, Mrs. Musa Omotola. On his arrival, he said he was ambushed, forcibly taken into the KAI vehicle, and had his Samsung phone seized.

    Otitoju described the entire episode as not only traumatic but a blatant abuse of power, and he has called for justice and an investigation into the incident.

    “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 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 vandalise 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 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 detention, he was kept incommunicado and denied access to his family and contacts.

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    “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 the Lagos State Government to investigate the incident and hold those responsible for any abuse of power accountable.

    “The gangsterism displayed by Jimmy Odukoya 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.”

    As of press time, efforts to reach Mr. Odukoya, Dr. Gbadegesin, and Commissioner Wahab for comment were unsuccessful.

    Legal and civil rights advocates are closely monitoring the case, which raises broader questions about abuse of state institutions for personal vendettas.

  • How I was manhandled by LAWMA officials, policemen, by ex-commissioner

    How I was manhandled by LAWMA officials, policemen, by ex-commissioner

    •Agency’s chief disagrees

    Former Commissioner for Information, Sports, Culture and Social Development in Ekiti State, Sir Kayode Otitoju, has relived his ordeal in the hands of Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) officials and Ministry of the Environment in his Lekki, Lagos Island horticultural garden.

    Otitoju said he was manhandled and thrown into a van by policemen, who accompanied  the officials  while seeking clarification  over the invasion. 

     Otitoju, All Progressives Congress (APC) and fellow of Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (FCILT), accused a LAWMA Director of Monitoring & Compliance, Mr. Jimmy Odukoya, of seizing his legally allocated property on Lekki Farms Avenue, Lekki Phase 1.

    Otitoju alleged he was unlawfully detained in a LAWMA van on May 9   and denied access to a property he has since 2001 been paying rent. 

    He said  trouble began on May 8  when  some  LAWMA officials stormed  the  garden, cut off the perimeter chain, and erected a LAWMA signpost indicating a takeover.

    A “sealed” sticker  signed by LAWMA’s Managing Director, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, was affixed on the property, stating dates from July 9, 2025  to May 8, 2025, an anomaly Otitoju believes signals premeditation.

    The next morning  (May 9), upon noticing the signpost about 8:15 am, Otitoju said he pasted the 2025 land use charge bill and receipt on the gate as evidence of his ownership and tax compliance. 

    About 10:15 a.m., Otitoju said he received a call from his security personnel reporting that Odukoya, accompanied by policemen and  LAWMA officials  had entered the  property, removed the land use charge receipt and signage  and ordered his team to “ransack ” the premises.

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    They demolished a stainless steel bridge spanning an 18-metre-wide drainage canal, a structure Otitoju said he built in 2018 with  over  N5 million.

    The former commissioner  said when he arrived  on the scene, Odukoya instructed  the police and officials to  take him out of the property.

    His words: “When I asked him why, he replied that he had warned me never to enter ‘my own land’. He ordered policemen to throw me into their bus, instructing them to guard me like a criminal.

    “I was kept inside the bus until the Permanent Secretary in the Office of Environmental Services of Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Dr. Gaji Tajudeen, arrived with some private company officials.

    ‘’After issuing instructions, he left with his entourage. At that point, I expected Odukoya to release me from the bus, but instead, he directed the driver to take me to another site on Freedom Way, Lekki.

    ‘‘My driver was  following in my Mercedez Benz GL 450 SUV.

    But Dr Gbadegesin disagreed with Sir Otitoju.

    He said the location is a designated drainage setback in Lekki, not a private property.

    “He has been asked to vacate the place. I believe he only had a temporary permit to use the area as a garden. The structures he erected were illegal and have been demolished. You cannot build such structures on a drainage setback,” Gbadegesin said.

    He added that the state is carrying out a statewide exercise to remove structures obstructing drainage channels to mitigate flooding.

    “It is incorrect to say the land belongs to him. It is a drainage setback, and beyond gardening, there were reports of activities like animal slaughter, meat sales, barbecue, and beer sales. Waste was being dumped into the drainage, and this poses a health risk, including the potential for a cholera outbreak.’’

    In his reaction, Gaji Tajudeen, said he was not aware of the incident.  ‘’I was not in the country last week so, couldn’t have been in Lekki at the same time,’’ Tajudeen said. Otitoju was a usurper, he added. According to him, he should bring his allocation paper.

    Otitoju adds: “Throughout the ordeal, I remained in the bus. Odukoya ensured the permanent secretary never saw me. When their inspection ended about 11:45 a.m., I was driven back to the Lekki Farm, where I was initially ‘detained . For nearly two hours, I was held without water or ventilation, sandwiched between two policemen for no reason.” 

    Otitoju said he was eventually returned to the original farm location, still detained in the van, after the  inspection  ended  about 11:45 a.m.”

    He alleged of a plot of  land grab in collaboration with a private waste recycling firm, Alliance seeking to install machinery on the property under a  project name “Waste Free Lekki.”

    Backing his ownership claim, Otitoju said the land was officially allocated to him by the Lagos State Governor’s Office Lands Bureau on August 9, 2001, for horticultural use.

    The allocation letter  clearly designates the land as a “Road Setback Along Maroko–Epe Expressway, Lekki Scheme I, Eti-Osa Local Government.”

    He cited a 2020 letter of appreciation from the Ministry of Finance, signed by then Commissioner Dr. Rabiu Olowo, commending him for his prompt payment of land use charges.

    To resolve the conflict, Otitoju said he   reached out  to   Gbadegesin on April 9 via WhatsApp message , sharing full documentation of his land title, payment receipts, and a plea to remove the illegal   sticker.

     “I explained everything in detail after our phone conversation on April 7, but Gbadegeshin didn’t reply,” he said.

    Otitoju also questioned the legitimacy of the project signpost erected on his property.

    He pointed out that the address listed—“Foreshore Point, along Foreshore Road, off Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1”—does not correspond with his Lekki Farms Avenue site, suggesting a deliberate attempt to mislead or misappropriate land.

    Definitely, LAWMA and I will have our days in court.

    Photos and records of the now-destroyed bridge and looted walkways have been documented as further evidence of vandalism, he added.

    Otitoju questioned why a law-abiding citizen, who has spent years maintaining a valuable horticultural property and paying taxes, should be subjected to what he described as “barbaric treatment.” “Why should I be punished by land grabbers under the cover of state officials?” he asked.

     Otitoju  called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State House of Assembly, and anti-corruption agencies toi investigate the matter.

     But Dr Gbadegesin disagreed with Sir Otitoju.

    He said that the contested location is a designated drainage setback in Lekki, not a private property.

    “He has been asked to vacate the place. I believe he only had a temporary permit to use the area as a garden. The structures he erected were illegal and have been demolished. You cannot build such structures on a drainage setback,” Gbadegesin said.

    He added that the Lagos State government is currently carrying out an ongoing statewide exercise to remove structures obstructing drainage channels in order to mitigate flooding.

    “It is incorrect to say the land belongs to him. It is a drainage setback, and beyond gardening, there were reports of activities like animal slaughtering, meat sales, barbecuing, and beer sales. Waste was being dumped directly into the drainage, which is in a terrible state and poses a public health risk, including the potential for a cholera outbreak.I

    In his reaction, Gaji Tajudeen said he was not aware of the incident.

    ‘’I was not in the country last week and so couldn’t have been in Lekki at the same time.’’

    But he said Otitoju was a usurper. According to him, he should bring his allocation paper.

    Demolition  in Lagos has been ongoing for several months, Gbadegeshin added.

  • I feel fulfilled at 70, says Ekiti ex-commissioner Otitoju

    I feel fulfilled at 70, says Ekiti ex-commissioner Otitoju

    A former Commissioner for Information, Sports, Culture and Social Development in Ekiti State, Sir

    Kayode Otitoju said he feels fulfilled with the political and personal journey he has traversed.

    In an  interview ahead of his 70th birthday in Lagos yesterday, Otitoju, an All Progressives Congress(APC)chieftain recounted defining moments of his political career.

    He  recounted the dramatic episode that led to his emergence as the National Conscience Party (NCP) senatorial candidate for Ekiti North in 2003.

    “My last visit to activist lawyer Femi Falana before the deadline for submitting party candidates to INEC was decisive.” .

    “As I hesitated to sign the nomination form, my wife took a sheet, wrote my name, and handed it over to Falana. He laughed and insisted the name must be in my handwriting. That night, around midnight, I signed it, and Falana submitted it the next morning,”he recalled.

    That act, Otitoju said, marked the beginning of an energetic campaign season where he, Falana, and the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi ran on the NCP platform for Senate, Governor, and President respectively.

    Though Otitoju did not  win the senatorial seat, the campaign dealt a heavy blow to the then-dominant Alliance for Democracy (AD), with the NCP securing two state  Assembly seats and winning two wards in Ekiti North.

    Otitoju said he later entered into a tactical alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to prevent AD from winning the governorship race, a move he described as “divine vengeance” for the injustice he faced.

    He attributed his political relevance and subsequent appointments on the platform of the PDP to the support of Governor Ayodele Fayose. Despite not formally joining the PDP initially, Otitoju noted that his loyalty and influence earned him positions, thanks to what he called Fayose’s “political sagacity.”

    “In gratitude, when Fayose was detained by the EFCC three years after I resigned from his administration, I stood surety for his bail,” Otitoju said.

    Reflecting on Nigeria’s political evolution, Otitoju criticized the AD’s internal practices in 2003, which he believed triggered its collapse in the Southwest, except in Lagos.

     “In the end, AD lost woefully to PDP in the 2003 general election in the South West. In fact, only Lagos State, through the resilience and stubbornness of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was able to survive the avalanche of political defeats recorded by the AD.

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    “Many blamed  Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s re-election bid for the defeats, but I say it was AD’s impunity that led to its downfall,” he added.

    Otitoji acknowledged the financial demands of politics, noting that his successful car dealership, Jukot Motors, funded his early political ambitions.

    “Politics made me sell vehicles, land, and houses in Lagos,” he said. “But I have no regrets. I’ve helped the voiceless, brought attention to my community, and proved that politics isn’t only for society’s rejects.”

    Beyond politics, Otitoju spoke proudly of his contributions to public service. He cited his role in revamping Lekki Phase 1 as Chairman of the Lekki Residents Association (LERA), and his tenure at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where he chaired the board’s project committee and helped secure a permanent headquarters for the agency.

    He also celebrated his legacy through his daughter, Tosin Otitoju, a globally recognized academic who topped the West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams in 1996 and later became the first Howard University graduate to win the prestigious Puncaire Scholarship for doctoral studies at Caltech, USA.

    Known for his tenacity and belief in the judiciary, Otitoju said he always resolves conflicts through legal channels and always wins.

    “At 70, I feel fulfilled,” he concluded. “I believe I have served God, humanity, and my people well.”

  • Ex-commissioner: why parents no longer stop wards’ participation in sports

    Ex-commissioner: why parents no longer stop wards’ participation in sports

    An erstwhile Commissioner for Information, Sports, Culture and Social Development in Ekiti State,Sir Kayode Otitoju, has described sports as a goldmine and parents no longer dissuade their wards from participating in physical sports.

    He said Nigeria has produced great sportsmen who became millionaires through different sporting activities.

    Otitoju, who  chaired the 10th Inter House Sports Competition of The Frontliners Schools, Akowonjo, Lagos, said a greater percentage of sports heroes and heroines in Nigeria and the world were identified and developed right from primary and secondary levels.

    He said there is no better stage than the nursery and elementary schools to groom, identify, develop, recognise, and encourage sports talents through practical and theory of a well designed curriculum.

    “You will agree with me that Nigeria has its fair share of sports men and women of international prominence that have made our country proud,” he said.

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    Otitoju said the  benefits of sporting activities included fostering endurance, competitions, determination, adding that versatility applied  to various roles has made sports a calling.

    “In the past, parents warned and dissuaded their children from taking part in physical sports, they don’t want them to sustain injuries or come home with swollen face.

    Today, the story has changed. Thanks to the successful people like John Mikel Obi, Asisat Oshoala, Blessing Okagbare, Dick Tiger, Anthony Joshua, Falilat Ogunkoya, Hakeem Olajuwon, Nwankwo Kanu, Ahmed Musa, Segun Odegbami, many of who became millionaires through professional sports,” he said.