- Suspect in property acquisition spree
The sales manager of a Chinese firm that undertakes sales, distribution, supply and marketing of agro-allied products such as pesticide and other agricultural chemicals, Femi Eric Omotunde, has allegedly been arrested by operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, Lagos.
Arrested with the middle-aged suspect were his alleged cohorts, namely: John Olawale Olamiyan, identified as the warehouse chief security and Saidu, a co-security personnel of the company with head office at Plot 817, Ifeanyi Uba Crescent, Omole Phase II, Lagos and branch offices in the Western, Eastern, Southern and Northern parts of Nigeria including Kotangora, Niger State.
According to a source, the Assistant General Manager of Eagrow Nigeria Company Limited, Mr. WU Hongzhou, through the company’s lawyer, Deji Roland and Terry Badmos Adeniji and Co., petitioned the Inspector General of Police.
On several occasions, it his said that the AGM undertakes internal auditing of stock in the warehouse. On one occasion, specifically October 20, 2015, he discovered that some staff of the company, including Omotunde, Olaniyan and Saidu, who are sales manager, warehouse chief security and security man respectively, had allegedly fraudulently sold goods worth approximately N50 million with the money paid into their individual bank accounts.
The source disclosed that further investigation by the AGM showed that Omotunde has since 2014 operated two bank accounts to perpetrate the fraud and that the suspects individually lodged several sums into the said accounts amounting to N50 million.
He gave the account details as follows: Keystone Bank; Name: Femi Eric and First Bank Plc; Account Name: Omotunde Femi Eric.
It was also revealed by the AGM that one Alhaji Sanusi paid N10 million into Omotunde’s First Bank account, representing sales of goods bought from the company, which caused the company great financial loss.
Omotunde was arrested on December 3 while in a meeting at the company’s head office in Lagos. According to the Deputy General Manager, Jackie Guo, represented by Lin Guoliang, the company discovered the fraud because it audits the accounts every year. It discovered that there was low patronage and low income in the statement of account and goods from the year 2013 to 2015.
He said the company usually counts goods every one or two months. The warehouse, he said, is small and goods are packed in palates. Each palate contains 100 cartons of goods coming in and going out.
It was discovered that there was a hole inside the warehouse through which goods were siphoned.
Mr Guoliang said: “We suspected Femi and the security men, and when the police arrested him, he confessed. We also discovered that he inflated transport fare, put additional cartons in the ones distributedto customers. Instead of 100 cartons, he packaged 110.
“He also brought his own truck to convey the goods from the warehouse in Kotangora to Sokoto and sold it to one Alhaji Mohammed based in Sokoto. The 100 cartons he supplied to him cost N900, 000, which was paid into his personal account, and nothing was paid into the company’s bank account.
“Femi also allegedly sent 100 cartons to one Daniel of 1K Agro located at Road Block, Zuru, Kebbi State in 2013 and 400 cartons worth N3, 000, 000 which was paid into his personal account.
“The company also discovered that Femi allegedly used the money to build a mini-estate in Kotangora, Niger State,” said Guoliang, adding: “He also built a four-bedroom duplex in Minna, Niger State and bought two plots of land undeveloped in Kotangora. He also had an uncompleted building. He also bought a trailer and car, and there were deposit slips made by customers to his account.
“When the security man noticed that what Femi was doing was illegal, he used his phone to take pictures and capture them whenever they were carrying out the goods.”
Guoliang revealed that the fraud made the company to close down, and the staff of 20 were sacked, adding that such fraud can discourage foreign investment in Nigeria.
Following the arrest by the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), many Agro- allied companies are reportedly scrambling to also get the suspect arrested once he is through with the security enforcement unit of the Lagos State Police Command.
