Adetutu Sobowale
A newly elected member of the House of Representatives for Ado-Odo/Ota Federal Constituency in Ogun State, Engr Tunji Akinosi, was on Monday, involved in an alleged altercation with a female activist, Abiodun Thomas, in Onikan, Lagos.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that Akinosi’s black Prado Jeep accidentally brushed a hawker, causing him to fall to the ground in pain.
The female activist and some of her colleagues intervened and requested that the victim receive medical treatment from Akinosi, who is the former Commissioner for Forestry in Ogun State.
However, an argument ensued between Akinosi and Thomas, with both parties calling each other names such as “stupid” and “foolish.”
A short video clip showed Akinosi approaching Thomas, who was recording the incident with her phone, and making a threat to harm her.
Thomas claimed that Akinosi took her phone and smashed it on the ground.
Thomas said “When the driver of the Jeep alighted from the car, he was holding a side mirror, which had been detached from the vehicle. Nothing happened to the side mirror, the plastic had been broken. He walked up to the man who was still groaning in pain, and just said “Sorry, bye-bye.”
“He was about to leave, but I said he could not leave. I insisted he must not be allowed to leave.
“I and about two other comrades went to the Jeep and the owner to come down of the vehicle and do the needful, either he apologies to the man or takes care of him.
“When he got down from the vehicle, he was justifying the action. He said the guy was pretending so that he won’t fix the mirror broken.
“His posture got me upset and I started recording with my phone. I told him if nobody can identify him, I know he is a politician in Ogun State and a Rep-elect. I said he is already intoxicated with power within a few months after the election.
“He called me a stupid woman and I told him he’s a foolish man.
“He told me that he would injure me. He collected my phone from me forcefully and smashed it on the ground. As I am speaking with you, the phone screen is now faulty.”
Thomas reported further that her colleagues had to pull her away from the scene out of concern for her safety.
She stated that she wanted to pursue the matter further, but her mother advised her to drop it.
Reacting, Akinosi denied the allegations and claims that there is no truth to them.
When contacted, he stated that he did not attack the woman or destroy her phone.
“A phone would be smashed, and the owner would not report to the police that is less than 50 meters away (from the scene)?” he asked.
He said “There’s no iota of truth in the statement above!
“Earlier today (Monday) at Onikan, an individual hawking drinks in a bid to outrun his fellow hawkers to sell drinks to people in a bus in front of my vehicle hit the side mirror of my vehicle and the mirror fell, the guy, coming to realization of what happened quickly sat on the floor feigning injury.
“My driver left the vehicle insisting he must replace the mirror; I was in the car receiving calls.
“Suddenly people came hitting the vehicle, shouting” Your vehicle broke someone’s leg and you are sitting in the car!
“I came down from the vehicle to ask them if they saw what happened.
“I told them that as adults, assumptions in situations like that were wrong, I then insisted that we all take the guy to the hospital for verification, and if truly he was injured I will take responsibility otherwise he will pay for the mirror damage!
“At that point, the guy confessed he was not injured and some other onlookers crossed over to tell the true story!
“At no time was any phone snatched or smashed!
“A phone would be smashed, and the owner would not report to the police that is less than 50 meters away?
“Instead the person will run to a reporter?
“Thank God there are laws now against false statements, claims, and reports!
“What do individuals gain by lying against public officials?”
Watch video below:
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