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Tag: businessman

  • Businessman accused of beating two policewomen

    Businessman accused of beating two policewomen

    The Police yesterday arraigned a 41-year-old businessman, Olawunmi Oladele, at an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court for allegedly fighting and beating two policewomen.

    Oladele, who lives in Fagba, Lagos, is being tried for alleged breach of peace and assault.

    Prosecuting Inspector George Nwosu told the court that the accused committed the offence on October 12 at Iju in Agege, near Lagos.

    He alleged that the accused and one other person now at large, unlawfully assaulted two policewomen, Inspector Patricia Okhide and Sergeant Funmilayo Adeamo, fighting and beating them while they were performing their lawful duties.

    Nwosu told court that the accused allegedly obstructed the complainants from arresting one Mrs Kemi Saka now at large.

    “The complainants were controlling traffic when they arrested Saka for blocking the road with her car and prevented other road users to have right of way.

    “They ordered Saka to follow them to the station but the accused who was only a passerby, stopped and interrupted, telling Saka not to obey their instructions.

    “In the process, Saka escaped with her car and the accused was arrested but he resisted arrest and was beating and fighting the police women in order to avoid arrest.”

    The accused pleaded not guilty.

    Magistrate A.A. Adesanya granted the accused N50, 000 bail with two sureties in the like sum.

    Adesanya adjourned the case till December 7.

  • Kidnappers demand N50m for abducted businessman

    An Aba businessman popularly known as Chief Okpotemba, a native of Item in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State, is yet to be freed  after over one week of being abducted by unknown gunmen.

    Okpotemba is one of the biggest clearing agents in the commercial city.

    The Nation gathered that the gunmen stormed his office in the  evening of September 16 while he was about leaving.

    Sources close to the family told our reporter that the hoodlums, before whisking him away to an unknown destination, shot the philanthropist in the leg after he allegedly resisted them.

    It was learnt that the inability of the kidnappers to release the man in the past one week has traumatised his family who are worried about his health.

    The Nation also gathered that efforts made by the family to persuade the kidnappers to allow the victim speak with the family fell on deaf ears, even as the kidnappers kept assuring them that the man whose health is frail is fine.

    It was said that the abductors made an initial demand of N50 million ransom when they contacted the family.

    The family said they did not have the amount demanded by the kidnappers, The Nation learnt.

    Negotiations were ongoing at the time of filing this report.

    Some of the residents of Dear John Estate, off 7Up Road, Ogbor Hill where the victim lives described the man as kindhearted who has used his wealth to touch the lives of the downtrodden including widows and orphans, among others.

    A resident of the area who claimed to know the victim, described Okpotemba as a detribalized man who enjoys making people around him happy.

    The resident wondered what offence the businessman could have committed that caused the kidnappers to have held him in their custody this long despite his state of health.

    The source said, “The continued detention of Chief is causing more psychological trauma to the already traumatised family and we are urging the police and other security agencies in Aba and the state at large to ensure that the man regains his freedom and to also make sure that the perpetrators of the act were brought to book. Chief is a good man and has been using his wealth to affect people around him positively.

    “Are we talking about countless jobless and unemployed youths that he has helped to become landlords and living big in this city? We learnt that he single handedly sponsor the August Meeting of his town’s women. We learnt that Chief was shot in the leg before they took him and we are wondering the kind of treatment that the kidnappers should be giving to a man that they kidnapped. What we want is his immediate release.”

    When contacted, the Abia State Police Relation Officer, ASP Ogbonnaya Nta confirmed that the kidnapped businessman was still in the custody of the kidnappers and assured that the police were on top of the situation to ensure that the victim was reunited with his family members.

  • Residents protest access road blockage by businessman

    Residents protest access road blockage by businessman

    Residents of Olorungbebe and Igbehinadun in Amukoko, Ifelodun Local Council Development Area of Lagos  have protested the blockage of what they called the only access road into the area by a businessman.

    The businessman identified as Ayuba Ahmed had erected a structure less than 30 metres from the canal, on a land he bought from the owner of Gaskiya College Compound, Chief Bisi Lawrence.

    According to residents, the businessman was building an orphanage home on the right of way, blocking the only motorable road into the slum communities.

    But Chief Lawrence refuted their allegation insisting that the land was part of his Gaskiya Estate land and that it was not the only access road to the communities.

    The residents stormed the street with placards inscribed with: “We want our road, not your blood money; we don’t want any orphanage home to block our road; if there is fire outbreak, how do we escape? If there is an emergency in the night, how do we escape? Don’t put out lives in danger.

    Other inscriptions were: “Ayuba Ahmed, don’t block the access road to over 2000 residents; Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, please save us from impending danger from Ayuba Ahmed; no road no development, if you block the only access road, you will compound our plight.”

    Trouble was said to have started on May 23, when some of the residents woke up to discover that the said businessman was laying foundation for his project.

    The aggrieved residents, led by the Community Development Association (CDA) Chairmen and Secretaries were said to have written Ministries of Physical Planning and Urban Development as well as Environment, calling their attention to the dangers posed by the blockage. They appealed to the governor to remove the structure.

    Consequently, officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) were said to have visited the area and marked the structure for demolition in June.

    Rather than obey the law, Ahmed was said to have petitioned the police alleging that the residents assaulted him and destroyed his fence, an allegation that led to the arrest of four key campaigners against blockage.

    Among then was Pastor Mike Ugoeke who allegedly paid N15,000 for bail at the Complain Response Unit (CRU), Command Headquarters, Ikeja, before the police investigated and discovered that the said fence was not demolished.

    “When the police saw that it was the state government that marked the structure for demolition, they turned around and said it’s land matters that we should go back and settle.

    “But since then, Ayuba has been threatening our lives. As I talk to you, he has gone to LASBCA in Apapa Local Government Area to get one Ademola, who has marked my building and that of Adesina Oloro for demolition.

    “We are under Ifelodun LCDA and we have our building approvals, and also pay tenement rents to Ifelodun LCDA. But he went to Apapa to get the man who came and marked our houses for demolition because we are against the illegality he wants to perpetrate against our community.

    “We have written another petition to the divisional police and to the Ministry of Physical Planning. We also copied the LASBCA office at Ifelodun and the man in charge said they never sent anyone to mark our buildings,” said Ugoeke.

    Alhaji Owotabuwa Asimiwu, who said he has lived in the community for over 50 years, stated that the disputed road used to be footpath until about a decade ago when the state government expanded it and made it motorable.

    “This road has been in existence for over 15 years. It used to be foot path for over 30 years before it was made motorable by the state government. The land does not belong to Bisi Lawrence but to the government. It is right of way. You can see that the road is between the powerline and the canal. Government should clear the structure so that our access road will come back. It is the traditional rulers here who are selling us out in this community. They are the ones behind this illegality because of their selfishness,” he said.

    When contacted on telephone, Chief Lawrence said the residents were just trying to embarrass him, adding that he has provided passage way for them but they insist on making the entire plot access road.

    He said: “It is not true that the land belongs to the government. The land is part of my Gaskiya Estate. They want a road through the estate, which will be very inconvenient. I gave them one path that they could use but they don’t want it. They want the one that will go through a plot that has been sold and is being developed.

    “It is also untrue that it is the only access way into the communities, neither is the structure blocking the road.

    “Also, the distance from the structure to the canal is at least 30 metres. It was measured by a surveyor. And they have been using that path. The people are just trying to create trouble for their personal reasons. They think they can embarrass me and manipulate the truth.”

  • Businessman allegedly paid N2.4b gets bail

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to a businessman, Olugbenga Obadina, the managing director, Almond Projects Limited.

    Obadina was allegedly paid N2.4 billion by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), under Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), without rendering any service.

    He was arraigned with his company last Friday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an eight-count charge for allegedly collecting N2,417, 000,000 paid into his company’s account in tranches, between 2013 and 2015 from ONSA’s account  without contract award.

    The offence is contrary to Section 15(2), (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

    Justice Nnamdi Dimgba yesterday admitted Obadina to bail at N500 million with two sureties, who must each endorse a bond of N250 million.

    The judge said the sureties can be private businessmen, professional or civil servant of the rank of a director.

    “The sureties must have landed property either in Asokoro, Maitama, Apo Legislative quarters, Wuse II area of Abuja, or Victoria Island, Lagos State. The sureties are to provide evidence of income tax payment for three years,” the judge said.

    He directed Obadina to deposit his international passport with the registrar of the court, and must go to the EFCC to comply with Section 15 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, which entails submitting himself for biodata collection, finger-printing, snapshot and necessary profiling.

    Obadina is to be remanded in prison custody pending satisfaction of his bail conditions.

    The judge adjourned to September 30 and October 4, 2016, for trial.

     

  • Dasukigate: Court grants bail to businessman allegedly paid N2.4bn

    Dasukigate: Court grants bail to businessman allegedly paid N2.4bn

     

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to a businessman, Olugbenga Obadina, the Managing Director, Almond Projects Limited who was allegedly paid about N2.4billion by the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, under Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), without evidence of services rendered.

    Obadina was arraigned with his company last Friday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an eight-count charge for allegedly collecting N2, 417, 000,000.00 paid into his company’s account in tranches, between 2013 and 2015 from the account of the ONSA under Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) without contract award.

    The offence is contrary to Section 15(2), (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

    Ruling on Monday, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba admitted Obadina at N500million  with two sureties who must each endorse a bond of N250m.

    The judge said the sureties can be a private businessman, professional or civil servant of the rank of a director.

    “The sureties must have landed properties either in Asokoro, Maitama, Apo Legislative quarters, Wuse II area of Abuja, or Victoria Island, Lagos State. The sureties are to provide evidence of income tax payment for three years,” the judge said.

    He directed Obadina to deposit his international passports with the registrar of the court, and must go to the EFCC to comply with Section 15 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, which entails submitting himself for biodata collection, fingerprinting, snapshot and necessary profiling.

    Obadina is to be remanded in prison custody pending satisfaction of his bail conditions.

    The judge adjourned to September 30 and October 4, 2016 for trial.

     

  • ‘Ex boyfriend murdered my fiancée,’ businessman tells court

    ‘Ex boyfriend murdered my fiancée,’ businessman tells court

    A businessman, Uchechukwu Orji, yesterday told a Lagos High Court in Igbosere, that his fiancée, simply called ‘Ijeoma’, was allegedly murdered by her ex boyfriend, Ifeanyi Christian.

    Orji, who testified yesterday as the second prosecution witness in Christian’s trial before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, said Ijeoma, 26, was declared missing on January 12, 2013, but was found dead four days later.

    Christian, an apprentice spare parts trader at ASPAMDA, Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, Lagos is being prosecuted by the state for Ijeoma’s death.

    Led in evidence by State Counsel, Mrs A. A. Saromi, Orji said he was formally engaged to the deceased, who was a food vendor, and that they had made plans to get married.

    He said Ijeoma travelled to her home town in the east in December 2012, for the Christmas and New Year celebrations but visited him at his home in the Ojo area of Lagos, on her return on Friday, January 11, 2013.

    The witness testified that while they were discussing in his room, the deceased’s phone kept ringing but she ignored it and when he asked her who it was, “she said the caller was just a friend.”

    He said he insisted on knowing who it was and she eventually told him the caller was her ex boyfriend, Ifeanyi Christian, who was trying to renew their relationship.

    She also told him, the witness added, that Christian wanted her to come over to his house, but that he forbade her.

    Orji said he saw the deceased off to where she boarded a motorbike to her neighbourhood in Agboju, Ojo Local Government Area. He phoned her when she got to Alakija Bus Stop, near her home and also spoke to her elder sister, who she ran into at the bus stop.

    The witness said the following day, a Saturday, he called her number from about 4pm till about 7pm but there was no response. He decided to give her some time because he thought she was probably attending to customers at her shop.

    “At about 10pm, when I called her line again and didn’t get any response, I became very worried. I then called Ijeoma’s sister who told me that she was probably busy at work. The sister called me back to tell me that she had checked and couldn’t find her sister. We started searching for her that night and continued the search on Sunday morning to no avail,” he said.

    Orji said the next day the deceased’s friend named Joy, told him she met Ijeoma the day before while the deceased was on her way to return a bottle of acid which the defendant kept in her possession. Joy also told him that the defendant worked at a shop at ASPAMDA at the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo.

     

    “On Monday, I went straight to the place where she directed me and I met an elderly man, who told me to check Ifeanyi in the shop, but Ifeanyi wasn’t there. So, I went back to the man, and he gave me a seat and asked me to wait for Ifeanyi. He said the defendant was his apprentice and asked me if there was a problem and I said yes, there was a murder case,” the witness stated.

    Orji said when the defendant showed up at the market and was questioned about the deceased, he fled but was arrested by security officials at the complex and taken to FESTAC Police Station. He added that defendant later told them that Ijeoma was dead.

    Justice Taiwo adjourned the case till October 24, for continuation of trial and possible cross examination by defence counsel, Mr. T. A. Jiakpona.

     

  • Businessman ‘beats’ brother’s wife to coma

    A 30-year old man Ojeriahi Victor, yesterday appeared before an Ogudu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos State for allegedly beating his elder brother’s wife to a pulp because she was barren.

    Ojeriahi, a business man who lives on Ibefun Street, Alapere is facing a one count charge of assault occasioning harm.

    The prosecutor, Mr Lucky Ihiehie, told the court that the accused committed the offence on June 14 at the complainant’s residence.

    Ihiehie said the incident happened shortly after the complainant, a trader, came back from the market around 9pm.

    “She looked for the key where her husband normally keeps it for her but did not see it.

    “As she was waiting outside for her husband to come back, her brother- in- law came into the compound receiving a call. He walked to where she was standing and pushed her down,” he said.

    The prosecutor, a sergeant, said that the accused took the torchlight the complainant was holding and started hitting her face.

    “The accused beat her up to a pulp until neighbours came to her rescue,’’ he added.

    Ihiehie said that as soon as the complainant’s husband came back and saw what his younger brother had done, he confronted him and was about to beat him up when neighbours stopped him.

    He said that the accused narrated to the neighbours that he beat up his sister-in-law because she had refused to give his elder brother a child after five years of marriage.

    The prosecutor said that the offence contravened the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

    The accused, who pleaded not guilty to the offence, alleged that the complainant refused to let him into the house when he came back from work.

    Magistrate O.S. Amzat granted him N10,000 bail with two sureties and adjourned the matter till July 17.

     

     

     

  • Police Sergeant, others ‘rob’ businessman of N620,000

    A Police Sergeant identified as Oluomo has fled after his gang allegedly robbed a Lagos businessman of N620,000.

    But, his gang members, Corporal Ewenta, a traffic officer at the Trade Fair Police Station and Ayorinde, described as a dismissed Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) official, were arrested by operatives of the Area E Command in Festac Town.

    It was learnt that the trio had accosted the businessman around Malu Road inward Apapa and blocked his Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) with their motorcycle.

    They were said to have accused the man of flouting traffic laws and ordered him out of his vehicle.

    But the man, it was learnt insisted that he did not take ‘one-way’. The suspects refused to let him go and kept driving him round Apapa in his car, demanding that he pay a N125,000 fine.

    The man was said to have told the police that the suspects took the N500,000 cash they saw in his car. They also reportedly insisted on collecting a N125,000 bribe from him or they will take him to their station where he would pay N250,000 fine.

    It was gathered that the man begged for mercy as he thought they were kidnappers because they were making calls that they were bringing him.

    “They drove the man round for three hours insisting he must pay them N125,000  after collecting N500,000 from his car. They told him to go to the bank and withdraw money. They even drove him to Fidelity Bank on Old Ojo Road. One of the suspects entered the bank with the man while another one stood outside the bank.

    “Oluomo, according to the man, drove off with his car. So, at a point the man had access to his phone, he secretly called his friend and informed him that he has been kidnapped but the suspects collected it back from him. But they foolishly dropped it again and the man secretly sent text message to the friend, telling him he was at Fidelity Bank, Maza Maza.

    “It was his friend who called the Area E Commander and also the DPO (Divisional Police Officer) of Satellite Police station who trailed the victim and his attackers.

    “The man withdrew N120, 000 and the dismissed LASTMA official who followed him into the bank collected it. But the man later summoned courage and held the suspect firmly outside the banking hall, shouting ‘thieves’ ‘thieves’.

    “A crowd soon gathered and started beating the two suspects until the police came and took them to the station,” said a police source.

    Police spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent, did not reply to a text message sent to her phone at the time of filing this report.

  • How Wonder bank dupes businessman of N360m

    How Wonder bank dupes businessman of N360m

    A Port-Harcourt-based businessman, Emmanuel Ugoakaeze, Tuesday told a Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, how a company, Nospecto Oil and Gas, allegedly stole his N360 million by deceiving him that the money had been invested in an industrial fuel business.

    In charge No: ID/212/2011, Nospecto and four others are facing a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing and collecting deposits illegally from the public without a licence, preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    They were accused of fraudulently converting the sums of N360m, property of Gladys Cho and Associates, and N180, 750,000.00 belonging to Rivotel International Ltd.

    The other defendants are Alhaji Yusha’u Abdullahi Maiyaki; Alhaji Al-Sidiq Manga; Alhaji Monday Sumanu Philemon; and Alhaji Najeem Yusuf.

    The offences, the Commission said, were committed between August 2006 and May 2007 and are contrary to Sections 516, 383(1); (2)(f); 390(9) of the Criminal Code Cap C17 Volume 2, Laws of Lagos 2003 (AS amended) and Sections 58(1) and 59(a)(b) of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act LFN 2004.

    At the resumption of trial yesterday, Ugoakaeze, testifying before Justice Kudirat Jose for the prosecution during examination-in-chief, introduced himself as a director in a company, Rivotel International Ltd.

    Led on by EFCC counsel, Mr. A.M. Ocholi, he alleged that sometime in 2006, he was introduced to Alhaji Maiyaki, the chairman of Nospecto, by one Ambrose Okogie, a member of his church.

    “Ambrose had a business model that he said was generating N40, 000 from an investment of N330, 000 every month,” Ugoakaeze added.

    He explained that after the introduction to Maiyaki and Manga at a meeting, the defendants made a presentation and it was confirmed that the business “was real and authentic.”

    Ugoakaeze said: “I was encouraged to invest in it and I decided to give it a six-month trial. I later approached Alhaji Maiyaki, proposing that I wanted to buy land in Ikeja for a hotel. The cost of the land was N800 million.”

    He said he met the defendants and Maiyaki assured him they could manage his investments and urged him to invest his money in four companies appointed by them.

    “Their business, as per the MOU we signed, was transacting in fuel oil and after he confirmed that they had licence to carry out the business, I sent N360 million in total to his suggested companies and they issued me with receipts. Eventually, we started transacted business and statements were coming,” Ugoakaeze said.

    He added that it was after six months that he saw on TV that “Nospecto was a fraud,” and that the company had invested his money in another company dealing in shares.

    “They introduced me to their stockbroker and it later occurred to me that the money I paid was diverted to several places. We visited their office in Victoria Island but they were no longer there.”

    Upon an application by defence counsel, Mr. Abubakar Shamsudeen, Justice Jose adjourned till today for cross examination of the witness.

    In a 2010 publication titled ‘Stemming the tide of scourge of illegal fund managers/wonder banks, the Central Bank said 36 illegal fund managers accounted for N104 billion, or 97.3 per cent of the total collated claims of N106.9 billion and “Nospetco Oil and Gas Ltd, one of the illegal fund managers, accounted for 48 per cent of these claims.”

     

  • Businessman gets N1m bail for ‘defiling’ minor

    An Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court has granted N1 million bail to a 23-year-old trader, Obinna Obaji, for allegedly defiling a three-year-old girl by fingering.

    Chief Magistrate Tajudeen Elias, in his ruling last Friday, ordered the defendant to produce two sureties in like sum as part of the bail conditions.

    Elias said Obaji should deposit N100, 000 into the Chief Registrar’s Account, pending the determination of the case.

    Obaji, a trader on Orisumbare Street in Iyana Ipaja, Lagos was arraigned on February 29 on a one-count charge of sexual assault, but he pleaded not guilty.

    Prosecuting Inspector Benedict Aigbokhan said the defendant committed the offence at his residence on February 21.

    Aigbokhan said the defendant was living in the same compound with the victim’s mother.

    “It was when the victim, a three-year-old girl, wanted to urinate that her mother discovered that she was finding it difficult to urinate and also crying.

    “The mother saw marks on her daughter’s vagina and when she asked her what happened, the girl said it was the defendant that inserted his hand into it,.’’ Aigbokhan said.

    The prosecutor said the offence contravened Section 404 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

    Elias adjourned the case to April 13 for the Department of Public Prosecution’s advice.