By Kazeem Jimoh/
A controversy over the dismantling of a telecommunications mast at the Epe Local Government Secretariat in Lagos State has deepened, with conflicting claims over ownership, official approvals, compensation and the circumstances surrounding the police invitation of a senior council official.
At the centre of the dispute are the Chief of Staff to the Chairman of Epe Local Government, Hon. Tunde Odupe, and engineer Oluwatoyin Ganiyu, Managing Director of Toagany Global Services, whose company says it handled the telecommunications project under which the mast was installed.
The controversy resurfaced following reports on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, that Odupe had been re-arrested over the dismantling of the mast and removal of associated equipment.
Odupe has, however, denied being arrested for theft, insisting that he merely honoured a police invitation in Abuja and has since returned to Epe.
Offering another account of the dispute, a former councillor representing Ward A3 in Epe Local Government, Kazeem Oniga, said the condition of the mast had raised safety concerns dating back to the administration of former council chairman, Hon. Adedoyin Adesanya.
According to him, official correspondence was sent to relevant authorities over concerns that the deteriorating telecommunications infrastructure posed a potential danger to people and property around the council secretariat.
Oniga said Odupe later became Supervisor for Environment when the administration of Hon. Surah Animashaun assumed office in 2021 and was subsequently directed to ensure the removal of the mast.
“Alhaji Tunde Odupe served as the Supervisor for Environment in Epe Local Government. One of the responsibilities attached to that office is the protection of the environment,” Oniga said.
He claimed that the mast’s deteriorating condition prompted the council to revisit the matter and that Odupe acted pursuant to an existing approval for its removal.
According to Oniga, the dispute later escalated after Ganiyu took the matter to the police in Abuja, leading to Odupe’s initial detention in 2024.
He said both parties were given opportunities to state their cases before the police and that Odupe was eventually granted bail.
Oniga further claimed that the council subsequently retrieved correspondence relating to the alleged danger posed by the mast, as well as purported approvals from relevant Lagos State and federal authorities for its removal.
He questioned whether Odupe could be held personally liable if he acted in his official capacity and on the instruction of the local government.
Ganiyu, however, disputed key aspects of the narrative and challenged the Epe Local Government to publicly produce the approvals it says authorised the dismantling and disposal of the telecommunications infrastructure.
Speaking on the dispute, Ganiyu warned against what he described as false claims being circulated about him and his company’s involvement in the project.
He said Toagany Global Services, not his late father, as allegedly claimed in some accounts, was awarded a contract by the defunct Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) on July 5, 2005, for the installation and commissioning of community fixed wireless telephone infrastructure in Epe and surrounding riverine communities.
According to him, the contract was worth more than N176 million and included the installation of a mast at the Epe Local Government Secretariat and another at Eleko Junction.
Ganiyu argued that dismantling telecommunications infrastructure requires statutory approvals, professional supervision, safety measures, environmental safeguards and proper documentation.
He challenged the council to produce evidence that those procedures were followed before the mast and associated equipment were allegedly removed and sold.
Ganiyu also introduced a financial dimension to the controversy, claiming that following Odupe’s initial detention in 2024, an agreement was reached for him to receive N50 million as compensation.
According to him, N10 million was subsequently transferred to him on December 10, 2024, from an account bearing the name “ADEK. O Environmental/Paint Distributor” as part-payment.
He claimed that the outstanding N40 million has remained unpaid despite repeated attempts to recover it.
The claims regarding the alleged N50 million settlement and N10 million payment could not be independently verified from the material available to this publication.
‘I Was Not Arrested for Stealing Mast’ — Odupe
Odupe, meanwhile, strongly rejected reports suggesting that he was arrested in Abuja for allegedly stealing the telecommunications mast.
In a statement addressing the controversy, the council chief of staff said he voluntarily honoured a police invitation and provided explanations concerning the disputed infrastructure.
“I am aware of the rumour making the rounds that I was arrested in Abuja in connection with the alleged stealing of a telecommunication mast in Epe Local Government,” he said.
“I wish to state clearly and categorically that this claim is false and does not represent what actually happened. For the avoidance of doubt, I was not arrested for stealing any telecommunication mast.”
Odupe said he received an invitation from the police in Abuja concerning the mast, appeared before the appropriate authorities and provided the necessary explanations.
He also maintained that the infrastructure was neither secretly nor unlawfully removed and insisted that no action was taken for his personal benefit.
According to him, the local government acted through official processes and on the strength of approvals purportedly obtained from the relevant authorities at the Lagos State and Federal Government levels.
“As I speak with you today, I am right here in Epe, safe and sound, carrying out my normal responsibilities,” Odupe said.
The conflicting accounts have left several key questions unresolved, particularly over the ownership status of the dismantled infrastructure, the approvals for its removal and disposal, the circumstances surrounding the alleged compensation agreement, and whether any outstanding financial obligation exists between the parties.
As the dispute continues, documentary evidence from the council, telecommunications authorities and investigators may ultimately prove crucial in establishing the facts behind the nearly two-decade-old telecommunications project and the controversy now surrounding its dismantling.
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