Gunmen kidnap Air Vice Marshal Sikiru Smith in Lagos

Masked gunmen have kidnapped Air Vice Marshal Sikiru Smith (retd.) in the Ajah area of Lagos State, according to a report by The Punch.

Smith is a cousin of Musiliu Smith, the current Chairman of the Police Service Commission and former Inspector-General of Police.

The retired general, who is now the Chairman of Double Wealth Ventures Limited, a dredging and engineering firm, was reportedly supervising work on a site in the Ajah area of Lagos State on Monday when masked gunmen stormed the location and opened fire.

The gunmen were said to have sped away with the retired general in a waiting speedboat.

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The retired AVM fought the gunmen before being subdued, according to an SOS voice note shared by his driver, Corporal Odiji.

“This is an emergency,” Odiji said. I’m Corporal Odiji, and I’m under the command of Air Vice Marshal Smith. They simply kidnapped him from the construction site where we were working. My boss has just been kidnapped by some gunmen wearing masks. They were shooting in all directions. I was close to where I was working on my boss’s car.

“I saw them leaving in a boat as I was approaching, but I wasn’t armed, so I just ran to the site and saw his glasses and where he was struggling with them. Please forward this information to others. It’s a critical situation.”

When reached by phone, Mr Adekunle Ajisebutu, spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, promised to look into the matter and provide a detailed response as soon as possible.

Air Force spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet also promised to look into the matter and provide more information later.

In 1979, AVM Smith was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the Nigerian Air Force, and he went on to have a highly successful military career that combined soldering with serious academic pursuits.

He holds BSc, MSc, MBA, and PhD degrees. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Nigerian Institute of Management.

Smith took several military courses, including flying and engineering, both locally and abroad.

Many military decorations were bestowed upon him, including the Distinguished Service Star, Pass Staff College (Dagger), and Fellow of the prestigious National Defence College.
Commanding Officer Air Engineering Wing, Sierra Leone/Liberia; Commander, Nigerian Air Force Station, Calabar; Deputy Director, Air Engineering, Nigerian Air Force Headquarters, Abuja; Commander, 333 Logistics Group, Kaduna; Commander, 401 Aircraft Maintenance Depot, Ikeja; Chief of Logistics, Nigerian Air Force Headquarters, Abuja; and Chief of Defence Communications, Nigerian Air Force Headquarters, Abuja are among the notable positions he held.

Smith, who recently appeared on The Punch Roundtable, advocated the use of drones in security surveillance and military offensives in the country in order to reduce the use of military jets. (The Punch)