Gunmen on Monday evening abducted a retired military officer, Air Vice Marshal Sikiru Smith (retd.) in the Ajah area of Lagos.
Smith is a cousin to a former Inspector-General of Police and current Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Musiliu Smith.
It was gathered that the retired Airforce officer, who is currently the Chairman of Double Wealth Ventures Limited-a dredging and engineering firm-was supervising work on a site when masked gunmen invaded the place and shot sporadically.
The gunmen were said to have whisked the retired general away in a waiting speedboat and sped away.
According to an SOS voice note shared by his driver, Corporal Odiji, the retired AVM engaged in a struggle with the gunmen before he was subdued.
Odiji stated, “This is an emergency. I am Corporal Odiji attached to Air Vice Marshal Smith. They just abducted him from the site where we were working.
“Some gunmen who were wearing masks just came and snatched my boss now. They shot everywhere. I was near where I was fixing my boss’ vehicle.
“As I was coming, I saw them leaving in a boat but I wasn’t armed so I just ran to the site and I saw his glasses and where he struggled with them. Please pass this information. It is an emergency.”
The spokesmen for the Lagos State Police Command, and for the Air Force, Mr. Adekunle Ajisebutu, confirmed the incident to newsmen, and said investigations were in progress