The lawmaker representing Oyo-Central senatorial district, Senator Teslim Folarin, says his thugs were ‘caged’ when hoodlums stormed his Ibadan residence on Saturday to cart away several items such as motorcycles, freezers, generators, and grinding machines he claims were meant for the empowerment of his constituents.
Folarin, who is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said this during a chat on Instagram Live with Ovation Chief Executive Officer, Dele Momodu, on Sunday.
When asked how the entire incident played out, the senator said he received a phone call that his home, which is located in a private estate, had come under attack.
He said, “They (the items) were meant for empowerment in December. And so I got a call that some hoodlums were trying to break into my house. I was totally surprised because it is a gated residence. I also have thugs there who were unfortunately caged at the time.
“And so, the first thing they did was to put a call through to the police but the police were not interested. They said if they come to the residence and someone gets killed, they would run into problems again and so they didn’t come.
“So, we didn’t get help from anybody. They overpowered my security guard, stormed the premises and what I suspect is that a lot of people were going about their business but when they saw people grabbing motorcycles, grabbing generators and all sorts, some just went in and grabbed also and left.”
Folarin said most of the items were purchased by him and his friends in the private sector.
He said the irony of the incident was that he was planning to distribute the items to the same people who had come to loot his house.
The senator added, “They were just in a rush. I wanted to give it to them. I do it every time. You would recall that I did the same during the COVID-19 pandemic when I got friends to donate trailers of rice because I don’t have that sort of money but I have friends who can help.
“It was meant to be for empowerment of people because we know how difficult things are. The whole idea was to help people out but unfortunately, they were in a hurry and broke in and took everything. Very unfortunate!”
When asked if the looting across the nation wasn’t caused by the failure of politicians, Folarin said it would be unfair to blame the current crop of politicians, adding that it was a generational problem.
The senator said the looting was not surprising going by the high unemployment and poverty rate in the country but added that certain social problems could not be tackled overnight.
Responding to reports that the allowances and salaries of federal lawmakers were outrageous and fuelling the anger of the people, Folarin said this was just a common misconception.
“Can you tell me one politician that left the National Assembly as a very rich person? I think there is a lot of confusion with the salary and running cost of offices?” he asked.
Folarin said there was too much focus on the earnings of federal lawmakers while people were ignoring executive officers like governors.
