Politician decides to show phone repair man he is a big man for asking him to stop beating his wife

LAGOS politician and former councillor Odukunle Kuti has got mobile phone repairer Rasheed Sunkanmi arrested for having the audacity for intervene in a spat he was having with his wife after he assaulted her and was challenged.

In development out of a comedy strip, Mr Sunkanmi was going home on a motorcycle when he saw a crowd on the street trying to stop the politician from beating up his wife on Jimoh Akinsanya Street, Arepo in Ogun State. He was said to have then made a snide remark at the politician for beating up a woman, which the ex-councillor of the Ikosi/Isheri Local Council Development Area overheard.

Mr Kuti who owns a hotel in Arepo, confronted the stranger for meddling in his family affair, which resulted in a fight between the duo as they tore each other’s clothes into shreds. After the brawl, the politician later invited some soldiers, accusing the 27-year-old of robbery but when the military men arrived at the scene, they discovered that it was a fight between the duo and they took both parties to their captain.

Their captain, identified as Okoye, was said to have mediated and dispersed the parties. Not satisfied, however, Mr Kuti a reported the matter to the police at the Warewa division a few days later and Mr Sunkanmi was invited to make a statement.

About a month after the fight, Mr Kuti was reported to have asked the police to charge the phone repairer to court, accusing him of the theft of his phone and money. One witness, who identified himself only as Jimoh, said the fight occurred in early April 2018 but the matter is still pending.

Mr Sunkanmi said:  “The only thing I said was, Why will a man be beating a woman like this?’ The man gave me fist blows and I retaliated with a punch, he got injured and said he would arrest and take me to court.

“That evening, he called some soldiers, saying there was a robbery in his house, whereas the fight occurred in front of a mosque. When the soldiers arrived, he said it was not a robbery, but that I interfered in his family matter and I was asked to apologise to him, which I did but he said he did not want apology.”

About three days later, he was invited to the police station to make a statement on the matter, which he did. However, Mr Sukanmi said he did not get any feedback from the police or the politician until on Sunday when Mr Kuti came to his house.

“He said he had not forgiven me for the punch I gave him in the mouth, adding that the army allowed me to escape on that day and that he had no intention of letting the matter go. I got a call from the police to report at the station, where I was then told that the matter was going to court,” Mr Sunkanmi added.

His aunt, Dr Ewatomilola Ayeni, alleged that Mr Kuti threatened to kill her over the incident. She claimed that the former councillor was using his power to oppress her and her nephew Mr Sunkanmi.