By Nurat Uthman
A former Commissioner for Forestry in Ogun State, Tunji Akinosi, has been accused of attacking a female activist, Abiodun Thomas, after his car allegedly hit a hawker in the Onikan area, in Lagos State.
Akinosi, a member-elect of the House of Representatives from Ado-Odo/Ota Federal Constituency of Ogun State, on Monday, reportedly used his black Prado SUV to brush the hawker.
Our correspondent gathered that the female activist, who was in the company of some of her colleagues, reportedly waded in and demanded that the former commissioner should be responsible for the victim’s medical treatment.
A short video clip of the scene showed that there was an altercation between Akinosi and Thomas.
Our correspondent saw how Akinosi charged towards Thomas who was recording the incident with her phone.
“Madam, if you do that, I am going to injure you,” Akinosi was heard threatening Thomas in the video.
Narrating the incident to our correspondent, Thomas alleged that Akinosi snatched her phone and smashed it on the ground.
She 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 hawker who was still groaning in pain, and just said ‘Sorry, bye.’
“He was about to leave, but I said he could not leave. I insisted he must not be allowed to leave.
“About two other comrades and I went to the Jeep and asked the owner to come down of the vehicle and do the needful, either he apologises to the man or takes care of him.”
Thomas said when Akinosi came out of the vehicle; he claimed that the victim was pretending so that he would not fix the broken mirror.
She added, “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 an election.
“He called me a stupid woman and I told him he is 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’s screen is now faulty.”
Thomas further said she was led away from the scene by her colleagues because “They were afraid of leaving me there with him.”
She said she wanted to take the matter up but her mother asked her to let go.
She, however, said she had not reported the matter to the police, saying she was waiting for her lawyer’s advice.
When contacted, Akinosi said he did not attack the lady or smash her phone.
He said, “Earlier on 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, realising the implication 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 damaged mirror.”
Akinosi said it was at that point that the hawker confessed that 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 metres away?” he asked.
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