By Ebele Boniface
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, has ordered the Police in the Area F command, Ikeja, to investigate alleged threats to the lives of a couple, Mr Ezeala Calistus Chukwudubem and his wife, by Hemingway’s Safari Africa Ltd, after collecting the sum of N1.2 million from the couple to procure visa and one bedroom accommodation for them in China and America.
According to the victims, field workers of the company in question met them at a shopping mall in Alausa area of Ikeja in 2018 and gave them fliers to fill and telling them what they stood to gain if they emerged as one of the lucky winners of free trip to America, China and other big countries abroad, with free visa, accommodation and other benefits.
After some weeks, the company in question called and told them that they had won free trips, visas and accommodation to America and China. They were very happy and celebrated their victory for more than three days, not knowing that it was all a scam.
Surprisingly, they were asked to pay money for the visas, flight and accommodation which they had been told were free. They paid N500,000 as first installment, which was collected by Eyitayo Ononuga with a receipt dated 20th March, 2018.
Three days later, they were asked to pay the second installment of N845,500 which brought the total amount paid to the company to N1,345,500 and was duly receipted. They were also asked to pay for travel expenses.
For many months since then, however, they are yet to receive any document from the company to at least show that the offer is genuine, prompting the couple to petition the Lagos State Commissioner of Police.
The petition dated December 4, 2019 states, among things: “We wish to bring to your knowledge the threat to our lives by staff of Hemingway’s Safari Africa Ltd situated at the 3rd Floor, LCCI Conference and Exhibition Centre, Plot 10A, Dr. Nurudeen Olowopopo Drive, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, for telling them to refund the N1.2 million collected from us by false presence that they would send us to America and China with free visa and free accommodation since February 2018.
“Their obtaining by false pretence started in February 2018 when members of their staff met us in a Shoprite mall in Ikeja and gave us fliers.
“They later invited us to their office at the above named address and told us that we were among the lucky winners that won free trip and free accommodation to China and America.
”When we got to their office, they started demanding money for visa, hotel reservation, among others. When they claimed that they could not get visa to China and America for many months, they started suggesting trying to get Dubai visa whereas we never asked for Dubai visa, which they did not even provide till date.
“When we continued to ask for the refund of our money, they warned us to stop coming to their office again if we love our lives. They even claimed that they did not know us or anything about the money we were asking them to refund.
“On Monday, we went together with the investigating police office (IPO) to their office at Alausa area to invite the suspects but they resisted invitation to Area F Police Command Ikeja, claiming there was no official letter to that effect as they are staff of a company.
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“The IPO went back to Area F and came back with a letter of invitation only to be told that the man they wanted to invite had gone out.
“After several pleas that one of the members of staff should sign the invitation letter on his behalf, one Mr. Ogba Colestin accepted to sign and gave his phone number as 08033121239 and we left.”
Contacted on the phone with number 08113953116, a man who identified himself as Tunji Thomas asked the correspondent to identify himself and he did.
Asked whether it was true that a couple, Mr Ezeala Calistus Chukwudubem and his wife paid his company, Hemingway’s Safari Afria Ltd, the sum of N1.2 million to procure visa and accommodation for them in America and China since 2018, he said they are not the ones that issue visa, and that it might be due to visa denial.
He said the company had closed for the year and would resume on January 6, 2020. He said the correspondent could come to their office on January 6, 2020.
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