An appeal has gone out to the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Police Service Commission (PSC), the National Human Rights Commission, The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the National Assembly and the Nigeria Human Rights Community to intervene in the case of intimidation, bullying, unlawful arrest and detention against one SP Great Aminu of State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti Lagos who have consistently and unjustly threatening one Mrs. Olabisi Esther Johnson, (Chief Executive Officer of Phej Homes Limited) over a business transaction between herself and Mr. Adebowale Adeyeye, owner of Creativo Elmatador Limited.
Mrs. Johnson who made the call during the press briefing at the office of Centre for Human and Socio-economic Rights, a Non-Governmental Organization on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 in Lagos also said Adeyeye refused to pay her sum of N7, 082,714.59 being a proceed of the business transaction due to her for goods supplied to Shoprite between July and August 2022.
While narrating her ordeal, Johnson who is seeking urgent and immediate intervention of concerned authorities over the matter alleged that Adeyeye whom she met through a mutual friend on business grounds, was using men of Nigeria Police force to threaten and harass her over a business transaction.
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According to her; “In March 2022, Mr. Adeyeye requested to employ the services of the logistics company that I normally used and that since I have already registered with the logistics company, he should transact with the them under my name. I explained basic requirement and detailed operandi of the logistics company to him, most especially, the charges which I also sent to him. In April, when Mr. Adeyeye got the bill for the month of March, he challenged the bill for being too high and I immediately told him Mr. Adebowale Adeyeye that was why I requested that the orders be separated to avoid misgiving s of being cheated.
“Later on, Shoprite NG paid him for the month of March but he overpaid me with an excess sum of N124, 000 (One Hundred and Twenty Four Thousand Naira Only). Immediately, I reached out to Mr. Adebowale Adeyeye, telling him that he has overpaid me and that he should send his account details for a refund. He responded that he would deduct the excess charge the following month. However, when it was to pay me for the month of April in May, Mr. Adebowale Adeyeye delayed paying my money for about three weeks though; this has always been his usual practice which in fact led to the alleged increment in the interest rate of the loan he assisted me with.
“In some instances, Mr. Adebowale Adeyeye denied being paid by Shoprite NG, meanwhile, according to reliable sources, he had already been paid much earlier.
“After getting the necessary documents that I did not possess earlier, I approached Shoprite NG stating that I have gotten the required documents and that my products should be separated from Mr. Adeyeye and that my products should be registered separately. I was then informed that the only thing that can be done is to change the company name that I was transacting with to new company I intend to use. I then went to Mr Aron Alabi Shoprite Creditors’ Manager to help me plead to Mr Bolu the buyer to register me separately with my own document and moved my products from Creativo Elmatador Limited to my own company Phej Homes Limited. Against this background, I informed Mr. Faparusi Oluwasegun Michael about this development and the respond I got from Mr Faparusi Oluwasegun on the stock, which I also send the stock update both to Mr. Adeyeye and Mr. Faparusi I even advised that he do stock movement or do discount to push is products. The responds I got was that I don’t want him to supply aggressively like I do and because of that I did not supply in May 2022, so when Shoprite paid in July the payment of goods supplied in April and May was paid into my account and I also noticed that it was the same supplier ID that was given to Creativo Elmatador Limited.
“After a while, having waited in futility for him to send his account details so I can send his money, I reached out to Mr. Faparusi who told me that he said he will not collect any money from me because he did not supply any goods to me but Shoprite NG. At that juncture, and owing to the fact that I have spent so much on my late mum before her death and to avoid spending his money, I went back to Shoprite NG accounts department, and humbly requested that they help send the money to his bank account directly. I was told that will not be possible because Shoprite NG do not have Mr. Adebowale Adeyeye bank details as their supplier anymore. I was, however, told that possibly, an account will be open for him too with Shoprite NG so that we can both transact differently and peacefully. Again, I reached out to Mr. Faparusi to inform Mr. Adeyeye about this development and that he should proceed to the accounts department of Shoprite NG to open his account.
“While I was at the Redemption Camp for the RCCG Convention in August 2022, my husband called me that some Police Officers from the State CID, Panti came home to look for me on the allegation of involvement in fraud. On my return from RCCG’s Convention, I went to the State CID to report myself. I was informed that a particular Officer Jerry was the IPO in charge of the case; however, SP Great Aminu took over the case.
“Mr. Adeyeye subsequently joined us and began to tell his own side of the story without any interruption, I was asked to tell my story but SP Great Aminu interrupted me. They both labeled me as a criminal that I will be paraded the following morning so that the general public can see the kind of evil person I am. He alleged that Mr. Adeyeye gave me a sum of one million naira to bribe people in Shoprite NG. SP Great Aminu later directed the Officer Jerry to take me to my bank to print my statement of account to confirm if truly I have returned his money to Shoprite NG. Even after confirming that he still threatened to detain me and that he would ensure I would not be able to attend my mum’s burial. He denied me access to my husband.
“The following day, my husband came with a lawyer and owing to my deteriorated health condition, the lawyer requested for my release so as to enable me to go for treatment at the hospital, SP Great Aminu vehemently rejected the lawyer’s request for bail except I pay the sum of N200, 000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira Only) for bail condition, he said he had seen my bank statement that there is money in my account. He asked one Officer Bunmi to give me my phone that I should transfer the money to my husband account, then my husband should go and bring the money in cash. My husband had to comply because we had no option then.
“Lost in thoughts as to what to do, one of my aunts took me to retired AIG Michael Okon who signed on his complimentary card that I should meet the DCP in State CID Panti that he will give me listening ears. I related what happened to the DCP Adegoke.
“The following day, a meeting was held between the representatives of Shoprite NG, Adeyeye and his lawyer, the DCP and myself. The DCP then suggested that if Mr. Adeyeye insisted that the company name should revert back to status that i should concede for peace sake and the external lawyer of Shoprite NG SAN Colombus also promised to help facilitate the opening of my own account so we can both continue our business in once and without dispute. The day after, we both went to Shoprite NG to change the name, but I was told to put it into writing to make it official. While we were still at Shoprite NG and in the presence of Shoprite’s management, Mr. Adeyeye began to implicate innocent representatives of Shoprite NG on the allegation that they collected bribe. As a result of his malicious statement, the Buyers’ and Creditors’ Managers of Shoprite were sacked.
When I returned from my mum’s burial, his lawyer and my lawyer had already written to each other. His lawyer alleged that I refused to change my company name to his company name and that I refused to pick their calls. I then told my lawyer that all I want is the money Mr. Adebowale Adeyeye owes me including the bill for the logistics services that he used under my name, and a refund of the excess N124,000 (One Hundred and Twenty Four Thousand NairaOnly) that he deducted money twice from my money. I also insisted that Mr. Adebowale Adeyeye should write an undertaking that when Shoprite NG pays him, he will pay me the necessary fee he owes me in less than 48 hours after receiving money from the retail outlet.
After meeting his lawyer, my lawyer directed me to send the details of my pending invoice that I am expecting from Shoprite NG which I did. Afterwards, my lawyer called to ask if they have prepared an agreement as to when Mr. Adebowale Adeyeye will refund my money which his lawyer said they were not going to prepare an agreement.
Shokingly, on Tuesday 29th of September 2022, I got a call from Panti State CID again that I should come. When I informed my lawyer, he told me not to go alone that their plan is to detain me and render me incommunicado, intimidate and unleash violence on me and force to write a mail to Shoprite to change the company name to Mr. Adebowale Adeyeye company name.
On several occasions, Adeyeye has promised to report me to higher authorities, that he was going to deal with me, and that he had come to Panti State CID to report me first so people won’t say he is cheating me because he has money.
Adeyeye knows my house and my children, husband, other members of my family and I am worried that we are not safe. I understand that he might want to go physical with me if he cannot do anything through the police.
I was the one that instruct Shoprite to go ahead and pay into his account since he has signed an undertaking with the police, I was also told that instead of my N7,082, 714.59 that they pay 5,556,335.06 that Adeyeye will give me the balance, because they have deducted his expired products from the money that was meant to be paid, which he also has agreed to balance me when Shoprite paid, after receiving payment form Shoprite, I received a mail from him stating that he will deduct all his expired goods of over 5million from my money. I later called SAN Colombus and SP Great Aminu, we were asked to meet in Panti again. He came and was insisting on not paying me and the police did not do anything about this. But rather I was insulted by SP Great Aminu and insisted that I apologized to Adeyeye, that he will only pay me if I apologize.
In the process I lost my 12 weeks pregnancy of twins due to stress. I have about 4 million naira debt to pay my supplier from the money. I don’t even have any money to take care of my children please come to my rescue.
On Thursday 17th of August 2023, I received a call from one SP Danmadami Abubakar informing me that the case file has been transferred to FCIID Alagbon by Mr. Adeyeye and the officer requested me to report to Alagbon. On getting to FCIID Alagbon on Wednesday 23rd August 2023, as agreed with the SP Abubakar, while I was being interrogated I was not allowed to explain what happened but instead I was wrongly accused constantly of fraud and forced to write statement according to the dictates of the police officers who keep dictating to me what I must write as my statement in order to indict myself.
In the process when the intimidation was too much for me to handle as a heart disease patient I got shocked and triggered my blood pressure (BP), a situation that almost leads to me having a stroke that took the interventions of the police officers present and others to rescued me as everyone took part in massaging my hand and face that has already gone. Aftermath of the shock I was released on bail.
In light of the foregoing, I humbly call the attention of Nigeria people to save my soul from Mr Adebowale Adeyeye to pay my hard earned money, a total sum #7,082,714.59 (Seven Million, Eighty Two Thousand Seven Hundred And Fourteen Naira Fifty Nine Kobo) and stop harassing, intimidating, assaulting and threatening my household” Mrs. Johnson concluded.
Several attempts to reach out to Mr. Adebowale Adeyeye to hear his own side of the story proved abortive as his phone was not reachable as at the time of filing this report while SP Great Aminu declined to speak with our reporter, he insisted that he no longer work at Zone 2 and the case file has been transferred out of the police division.
By Ajibola Adedoye