- Incident occurred while the retiree was returning from a visit to a family friend on Airport Road
- Retiree claims a taskforce official forcefully entered his car and directed the driver to the Okota Taskforce Office, where he was harassed and extorted by thugs
A retiree named Dotun Falua, aged 77, has lodged a complaint against several taskforce officials in Okota, within the Isolo Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, alleging extortion.
Hailing from Ekiti State, Falua claimed that on Monday, while returning from a visit to a family friend on Airport Road, he was extorted by these officials, resulting in a loss of N55,000.
According to a report from Punch, Falua recounted that during his journey back from the visit, he made a stop at a shop along Ajao Road, leading to Canoe Bus Stop, to make a purchase. It was at this point that an individual who identified himself as a taskforce official unexpectedly entered his vehicle.
Falua stated that the unnamed official demanded to be dropped off somewhere. However, the retiree alleged that the official continuously directed the driver until they arrived at the Okota Taskforce Office, where additional individuals, described as thugs, harassed and extorted them.
He said, “I went to Redstar Express, off Airport Road to see a family friend. After we finished the discussion, he offered his driver to take me back home.
“On our way back, we just stopped at a shop along Ajao Road leading to Canoe Bus Stop with the driver in the car and the car engine still on, incidentally the owner of the shop was not in and I did not even close the door of the car.
“In a jiffy, someone opened the front door and jumped in, claiming he was a task force official. He said he wanted to warn us that we should have not parked there.
“We explained to him that we are not parking and not in any way blocking traffic. There was even no traffic at that time around 2pm.”
He added, “While in the car, he kept telling us that it was just a warning gesture and that we just needed to move forward and drop him. He kept directing the driver until we got to Okota Taskforce Office.
“On getting there, some thugs swarmed us and forcefully ceased the car key. They stressed that unless we paid N55,000, they would not release the car.
“I told them the car was not mine, we even pleaded, but to no avail, until we transferred N55,000 plus the Point of Sale charges to an agent.”
In the meantime, a source revealed that they have been receiving frequent complaints regarding these alleged fraudsters who victimized Falua, emphasizing that they were political thugs employed during previous elections.
“I just placed a call to the Supervisor – more like the Commissioner for Special Duties we have in the local government. He claimed not to have any idea about it. For now, there is no idea about that extortion. He (the council chairman) is currently in a meeting,” Kushimo said.
When contacted, Damilola Kushimo, the Deputy Chief Press Secretary to Bayo Olasoju, the Chairman of the Isolo Local Council Development Authority, stated that the council was unaware of any incidents involving extortion.
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