Popular Nigerian automobile tycoon, Lanre Shittu or Olanrewaju Rasak Shittu, has died, Peoples Gazette can report.
Mr Lanre Shittu, who was one of Nigeria’s prominent automobile dealers and socialites, passed away Monday morning at age 65, as a source close to the family asked for prayers for the deceased.
He was a successful entrepreneur and the number one dealer of Mack trucks in Africa, holding the sole franchise for Mack brand vehicles in Nigeria and also the only dealer of Sany heavy duty equipment and Yutong buses in Nigeria.
The successful businessman was also a licensed dealer of KIA, NISSAN, Jinbei Buses, and was the leading supplier of genuine spare parts to automobile dealers in Nigeria and others.
Meanwhile, Mr Lanre Shittu was not without controversy during his lifetime. In November 2000, he was allegedly abducted by operatives from the United States Drug Enforcement Agency in conjunction with their Nigerian counterpart, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and arraigned in a U.S court.
However, the District Court of New York lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the matter because both countries had violated the treaty on extradition.
Also, before his demise, there was a pending civil suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja over a move by the Federal Government to extradite him to America to answer to the alleged money laundering charge against him.