The woman who claimed to have lost diesel products valued at N10 million when the truck she hired to convey it to a customer was hijacked, said the policemen in Yaba refused to help her even after paying N610,000.
Olabisi Ayinla, a 45-year-old widow, called out men of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Yaba, Lagos State, as detailed how they extorted N610,000 from her.
Narrating her ordeal in the hands of the policemen, Ayinla recalled that on Saturday, August 27, 2022, some armed men in military uniform hijacked a truck she hired to convey 15,000 litres of diesel valued at N10 million, to a customer.
According to Ayinla, the truck was heading to Owode Onirin in the Ikorodu area of Lagos, when it was hijacked at Anthony Bus Stop, along the Lagos-Ikorodu Expressway.
The widow who’s into the business of supplying petrol and diesel, said she immediately reported the matter to the Anthony Police Station, but was referred to the SCID, where she was extorted.
Ayinla revealed that the policemen refused to work on the case since they collected the N610,000 from her, adding that they were even requesting she pay more money to enable them do their job.
Her words: “The truck was hijacked by some unknown military officers who ordered the driver to get down on the allegation that he was transporting diesel mixed with kerosene.
“The driver showed them the waybill of the product, but the officers ordered him to get down and not switch off the engine of the truck. They also seized the waybill.
“The driver and the motor boy were put into a blue Sienna vehicle and driven to Seven-Up Bus Stop, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where the officers dropped them, handing them their waybill. The driver and the motor boy rushed to the scene of the hijack, but on getting there, the fully-loaded truck was nowhere to be found.
“The vehicle was later found on that same day around 7am at the LASTMA office, Iponri, through independent tracking of the motor boy’s phone, which was in the truck.
“I found out that the product had already been discharged from the vehicle when I got to the LASTMA office.”
When asked about the extortion claim, Lagos Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Benjamin Hundeyin said he didn’t know anything about the case.
