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A man identified as Komolafe Oluwasanmi, an electronics accessories dealer, is fighting to save his left eye after he and four colleagues were allegedly assaulted by three Nigerian Air Force operatives following the refusal of one of the officers to pay for the two television sets she had ordered.
PUNCH Metro learnt on Saturday that the victims were allegedly held hostage and brutalised on September 7, 2024, at one of the officers’ residences located at the Naval Estate, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
After the assault at the officer’s residence, our correspondent learnt that Oluwasanmi and four colleagues were hauled down to the Abacha Barracks in Asokoro, where they reportedly spent four days in detention.
Although the NAF informed our correspondent on Saturday that an investigation into the incident had commenced, the victims sought justice over the humiliation and treatment they were subjected to.
Our correspondent gathered that a female officer allegedly contacted an online television dealer to purchase two Nona plasma TVs totalling approximately N2.9m, promising to pay only after delivery.
According to the victims, the online vendor reached out to Oluwasanmi, who then coordinated with a friend with a larger store to arrange the delivery of the TV sets to the officer’s residence at the Naval Estate.
After inspecting the television sets, the officer allegedly insisted that the dealers install them on her wall. However, Oluwasanmi refused, insisting that payment be made to the company’s account before installation.
Oluwasanmi narrated, “She ordered two LG Nona Cell TVs, one 65 inches and the other 55 inches. This is common practice in our field —if a customer wants a product we don’t have in stock, we reach out to a trusted colleague. Since I didn’t have that specific brand, I contacted a friend for the sets. I also asked him to send his employee a stamp so they could receive the payment and issue a receipt.
“When we arrived at her residence, she told us to start mounting the TV sets. I explained that we couldn’t do the installation until she made the full payment and we issued a receipt. She then asked where to make the payment, and I provided the company’s account.
“She insisted that she would pay the money into the account of someone she had been communicating with. We informed her that we didn’t know the person she was referring to and urged her to make the payment to the company’s account, assuring her that we would issue the receipt immediately.”
Despite the dealers’ warnings for her not to pay any account other than the company’s, Oluwasanmi said the officer disregarded their advice and went on to make the payment.
“We warned her more than five times not to send the money to that person, but she refused to listen. After waiting for hours without receiving any payment, we decided to leave with the sets. We then locked the gates and called her colleagues, who arrived at the apartment shortly after our call.
“They didn’t even let us speak; they just started beating us up and striking our faces. After spending over seven hours in the house, they took us to Abacha Barracks, where we were locked up in the guardroom.
“Two of my colleagues and I spent three days in detention before my father-in-law came to bail us out. They confiscated the TV sets and seized my cars along with my belongings,” added Oluwasanmi.
Another victim, Olalekan Olowonyo, an apprentice of Oluwasanmi, told our correspondent on the telephone that the officers confiscated their phones before they began physically assaulting him and the others.
Olowonyo, “She then began claiming that she had been scammed. Before we knew it, she had called in three military officers, who started beating my boss.
“They confiscated our phones and insisted that we install the TVs. One of the officers began hitting and slapping me. They took us to the barracks and locked us in the guardroom, and also took my boss’ car.”
Seeking justice for the traumatic experience they endured at the hands of the NAF’s officers, the online vendor, Olalere Daniel, who contacted Oluwasanmi for the TV sets, claimed that the officers forced them to pay N700,000 before they could be released after spending four days in detention.
Daniel said, “I didn’t go with them to the house; I joined them only after they were taken to the barracks. We informed the woman that the TV sets cost N2.9m, but she claimed she had paid N1.1m because the man she met online had told her it was part of a promo.
“She called her colleagues, and they began beating them, insisting that they must install the TV sets. They took them to the barracks, where I joined them since I was the one who contacted them for the TVs. They didn’t even bother to investigate the person to whom she sent the money; they simply locked us up.
“Peace and I spent four days in their guardroom. They insisted that if we didn’t pay them, we wouldn’t be released. We had to come up with N700,000 before they would let us go. They still have the TVs and have seized Oluwasanmi’s car.”
When contacted on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Olusola Akinboyewa, informed our correspondent that an investigation into the incident had already begun.
He assured the public that the force remained committed to protecting them and emphasised that any operatives found to have engaged in unprofessional conduct would be held accountable.
“An investigation is already underway. Parties in the matter have been in contact with relevant authorities at the HQ NAF, and the engagement to resolve the matter will continue within the week.
“The public can be reassured that the NAF stands by its duty to protect the Nigerian people, and any wrongdoing on the part of erring NAF personnel will be appropriately punished,” Akinboyewa told PUNCH Metro.
