By Sunny Nwankwo, Aba
A chieftain of the defunct National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Chief Ralph Obioha, and his former employee, Yomi Tokosi, are locked in a dispute over property on 24A, Ikoyi Crescent, Lagos.
Obioha said he employed Tokosi as the Managing Director of his defunct First African Trust Bank.
According to him, he bought the land in 1991 at N2 million from the late renowned sculptor, Prof. Ben Enwonwu who gave him the power of Attorney, Deed of Agreement, Deed of Sale and Deed of Indemnity.
He also stated that he engaged and paid a lawyer, Chima Okafor N500, 000 to prepare documents over the purchase of the land from Enwonwu.
The NADECO chieftain told The Nation that Tokosi had approached him to complete his then unfinished building at 24A Ikoyi Crescent and share the units between them.
They entered into a joint venture agreement which stated that Tokosi was to perfect the land title, ensure that all building approvals are gotten and his consent (Obioha’s) obtained before any changes will be allowed on the building.
He disclosed that the joint venture agreement he made with Tokosi on the property was handed over to his lawyer for safekeeping.
Obiora is now alleging that Tokosi has deviated from the terms of the agreement and plotted to take over the property.
According to Obioha, Okafor claimed that the joint venture agreement was consumed in a fire that gutted his office in a building owned by Tokosi.
Obioha said he had demolished a bungalow at the side and started erecting a building through a firm, Multi-Project Limited, owned by Mr Ademola Odutola who was introduced to him by Tokosi in 1993.
He said he paid Odutola N70, 000 Pounds and he commenced work in 1993.
He said following the onslaught against him and other NADECO chieftains by the late General Sani Abacha junta over the 1993 presidential poll, he went into exile to the USA until 1998.
Four years after his return from exile and the property lying uncompleted, the ex-NADECO chieftain said Tokosi approached him to allow him to complete the building on the basis that they would share the four units: two each to himself and Tokosi.
He explained that Tokosi also agreed to perfect the Certificate of Occupancy of the land and other fees.
Obioha lamented that the agreement to allow Tokosi to complete the building and share the units between them was his major undoing as the latter rented one of the two units belonging to him (Obioha), paid rent thrice and declined further payment since 2018.
He said: “Tokosi rented one of my two units, paid rent for three years and stopped. He started claiming that the property belongs to the Lagos State government and not me.
“Out of curiosity, I sensed that Tokosi must have engaged in some fraudulent practices because many documents started disappearing from the file.”
Obioha further stated that he had earlier handed over some documents, including the agreement he had with Tokosi, to the lawyer for safekeeping.
“The missing joint venture agreement which my former lawyer claimed was burnt in a fire incident that took place in Mr Tokosi’s property was contrived to destroy evidence…
“It was convenient for all these agreements to be burnt by fire as alleged. If there was a fire outbreak, there are laid down procedures that must be followed.
“Why didn’t the duo obtain a police report of the incident? As my then-lawyer, why didn’t Okafor swear to an affidavit of facts over the incident and obtain CTC of the burnt documents and make them available to me?”
Obioha said Tokosi, who was the managing director of his bank, also told him that Abacha closed the bank because of his NADECO activities.
“Tokosi believes that the documents to the property are out of sight, this is why he is shouting that the production of the documents is all he wants.
“He has even made false claims that the land doesn’t belong to Prof. Enwonwu, but the Lagos State government. This is a sinister plot to make a tenant, Tokosi, a landlord through the back door. He was paying rent on the unit he rented and suddenly stopped.
“I bought the property at 24A Ikoyi Crescent three years before a friend introduced Tokosi to me and I made him the Managing Director of my bank.
“He has made several petitions against me to the Ikoyi Police Station. I knew he was a Lagosian before I employed him as Managing Director of my bank. How did Tokosi jump into the property and start developing it?
“Ask him to produce a bill of quantities, submit all the technical drawings and get his collaborator to produce the agreement between him and myself. If the agreement is produced, it will expose the many lies of Tokosi who now claims to be the landlord.”
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But, Tokosi said the issue is that he and Obioha had a joint venture agreement on a piece of land he (Obioha) claims to be his and Lagos State later objected to the claim with proofs.
In his words: “I erected the structure and completed it with money. After a while, Lagos State Government came and said they own the land. Instead of him going there to rectify things, he did otherwise.
“He’s my friend. He’s a very good man. I like him. I was the Managing Director of his bank for six years. I still respect him. Instead of fighting me, he should go to the Lagos State Government and clear things.
“Once he clears things fine. When Lagos came, he ran to the US. My investment was at stake, so I had to regularise things. So, if he clears with Lagos State and pays me the money which I spent, he can have his part of the property.”
He alleged that Obioha employed the service of some thugs to come and vandalize his property which he claimed led to the arrest of the thugs who confessed to him being paid by Obioha to do what they did.
Obioha’s erstwhile lawyer, Mr Chima Okafor, who was former Commissioner for Commerce and Industry during Anambra State Governor Peter Obi’s administration, said he was in a meeting and promised to call back.
Repeated calls and text messages were made to his mobile number, but he did not respond as at the time of filing this report.
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