VOICE AIR MEDIA, News Update
Following the incident in 2014, the original owner contacted the office of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to flag the stolen car.
According to the owner, he was alerted by FRSC office in Lagos last year that the vehicle was brought in for registration.
A Toyota Highlander SUV reportedly stolen at gunpoint 10 years ago has been found in the possession of a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), who claimed he purchased the vehicle through a public auction.
According to the original owner of the SUV, Eye Ayo Samuel, the car was stolen in 2014 when dare-devil robbers broke into his home in Erusu Akoko, Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State.
“The incident occurred on January 24, 2014…Not satisfied with their loot, they also took away my N3 million white 2006 model Toyota Highlander Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) marked EKY 850 AJ with chassis number : JTE DW 21A060004010,” he said.
Following the incident, Samuel said he reported the matter the following day at a nearby police division, adding that he also contacted the office of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to flag the stolen car.
Samuel said nothing came out of it until recently when he was alerted by the FRSC office in Lagos last year that the vehicle was brought in for registration.
He recalled:
“But nothing came out of it until recently when I discovered that the car was bought by one Olatunji Akingbola, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG).
“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.
“Early this year, I gave it to someone to sell it for me and the person sold it to someone who took it to Abuja.
“I was later told that the vehicle had an issue when he took it to FRSC and I even gave my number to the new owner to call me at the FRSC office so that I could speak with officials there to resolve the problem.
“Suddenly, I was called by the Commissioner of Police, stating that there was a petition against me that a stolen vehicle was found in my possession. So, I visited the CP to explain my side of the story.
“I know that there are laws governing the sale of vehicles through public auction. I then gave the documents of the auction sale to the Ondo CP, who said that an investigation of the matter would be done.
“I have since explained my side of the story to an aide of IGP overseeing the matter, and I haven’t heard anything about the matter until now.
“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.”
(The Nation)