Senator accuses soldiers at Ikeja cantonment of involvement in aide’s death

Solomon Adeola, senator representing Ogun West, has alleged that “a syndicate of soldiers” at the Ikeja cantonment is responsible for the death of Adeniyi Sanni, his aide.

Sanni was shot dead under “questionable circumstances” in Lagos, on the morning of August 5.

Kayode Odunaro, the media adviser to the senator, said before Sanni’s death, he was stopped at a checkpoint in Lagos where he was questioned about his vehicle papers.

He said Sanni had reached out to his wife to send the documents through Whatsapp, after which he suddenly went incommunicado and was later found dead with a gunshot wound at the Toyota bus stop in Oshodi.

In a statement released by Odunaro on Monday, Adeola said an investigation by the police has revealed that Nigerian soldiers were involved in the death of Sanni.

He said to date, the deceased’s vehicle, phones, and other valuables are yet to be recovered.

The senator added that the investigation also revealed that a pattern of killing and armed robbery had been established against soldiers mounting late-night checkpoints around Ikeja.

 “I am of the firm belief, based on available facts at the disposal of the police that my aide was killed by a syndicate of soldiers operating under the newly deployed commander of 9 Brigade, Ikeja cantonment of the Nigeria Army, Brigadier General AM Adetuyi, through mounting of checkpoints and robbing of lone occupants of cars,” the statement reads.

“Top police sources familiar with the investigation informed me that a similar brutal killing and armed robbery occurred around the same Ojodu- Berger late Thursday night of August 17, 2023, resulting in the killing of another Nigerian whose body was discovered around Iyana-Ipaja after he was taken away by soldiers from the checkpoint.

“Unknown to the soldiers, the occupant of the car they killed and took away his car was the second car in a convoy of two heading towards the same destination.

“The first car passed the soldiers checkpoint but the second car was stopped to check his vehicle’s papers.

“On noticing the absence of the second car after a while, the occupant of the first car (name withheld) placed a call to his colleague in the second car who informed him that he was being taken to Iyana-Ipaja by the soldiers at the checkpoint.

“That was the last he heard from him and his dead body was later discovered dumped on the road just like Mr Sanni. The survivor in the first car reported the case to the police and a pattern of armed robbery and killing in the area involving men in army uniform was established.”

The senator urged Taoreed Lagbaja, chief of army staff, to intervene in fishing out the soldiers responsible for the death of his aide.