A businessman, James Onyemenam, has petitioned the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) over an alleged N125 billion fraud surrounding a 24-year concession agreement with the Nigerian Army Shopping Complex – The Arena – at the Ikeja Cantonment, Lagos.
Onyemenam who is Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Woobs Resources Limited in a petition addressed to the Attorney-General of the Federation alleged that the police launched an investigation into the allegation of fraud since September 2024 but failed to prosecute the suspects.
He also alleged that the IGP had also refused to hand over the case file to the AGF.
The petitioner said he had, before this time, won two suits against the alleged perpetrator of the fraud at the Lagos Court of Arbitration and the Federal High Court of Nigeria while another suit is pending at the Court of Appeal.
Onyemenam alleged that the police independently investigated the fraud and indicted several persons, including his former business partner, a lawyer, and top military officers, among others, but failed to prosecute them,
He alleged that his former business partner connived with some military officers to unlawfully remove him from the firm to be able to perpetrate the fraud.
He therefore appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and compel the IGP to forward the case file to the HAGF being the Chief Law Officer of the Nation for prosecution.
The petition read: “Given the inexplicable delays by the Police with all the trappings of a deliberate arrangement to prevent the prosecution of a matter in respect of which investigation has since been concluded, I authored a petition to the office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (HAGF).
“The HAGF’s office having been abreast with the matter moved to prosecute the case and consequently wrote to the IGP to forward the case file on, at least, three different occasions to the best of my knowledge. Since September 2024 up until now, the IGP has refused to release the case file to the HAGF, who is the chief law officer of the country.
“While these investigations have been ongoing, I have continually been harassed and intimidated by several departments of the Nigeria Police Force over the same matter. For instance, the Nigeria Police Force Zone 2, invaded my home and office and arrested my neighbour thinking it was me. As if that is not enough, The FCID Annex Alagbon has been on the prowl after me over the same matter which its head office had concluded an investigation on and issued its report which is languishing in the office of the IGP. The level of interest and interference is not unexpected because this is a high-ticket investigation involving several billions of naira.
“It is very disheartening that rather than prosecute the persons indicted in the investigation report and the follow-up investigation ordered by the IGP, we now read media reports of how the Police officers that courageously investigated this matter and refused to compromise their integrity and the ethics of the Police Force, are now being harassed and hounded by the same Police that should treat them with honour. Quite recently, we learnt of the ill-treatment being meted out to these policemen whose decency has helped to preserve and renew the hope of people like me in the Nigeria Police Force.
“Again, I ask, why has the IGP refused to prosecute the persons indicted in the criminal investigation? Why has the IGP refused to send the case file to the HAGF? Who is behind the scenes and frustrating the prosecution of this matter? How on earth do we not see what is wrong in allowing the perpetuation of fraud even after a thorough Police investigation has twice established the fraud committed by the perpetrators?”
According to Onyemenam, The forceful takeover of The Arena was done in connivance with some military officers of the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army at the time.
“The EFCC’s investigation revealed huge pay-outs from the company’s accounts to several top Army Generals and senior officers of the Nigerian Army who have made it impossible for the enforcement of the Arbitral Award of 2015 and the Judgment of the Federal High Court delivered in 2020.”
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