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26-Yr-Old Abuja-Based Photographer Was Arrested, Jailed For 10 months Over Theft, Defamation, Others — Former Boss

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Mike Oluwole, former boss of Abuja-based photographer Nicholas Peter, has spoken publicly about Peter’s 10-month detention at Keffi Correctional Centre.

In an exclusive interview (with The Punch) on Monday, Oluwole alleged that Peter’s detention resulted from his; frivolous behavior, mismanagement, theft, and defamation.

Oluwole recounted an incident where Peter attempted to sell a camera lens, claimed to be for a bedridden friend, but was later discovered to be stolen.

Oluwole stated that he confronted Peter, who initially lied about the lens’s ownership.

These allegations led to Peter’s arrest, according to Oluwole.

“When he came to my office to sell the camera lens, I asked about its owner. He claimed that it belonged to his friend, and I put him on the spot to confirm. I made him sign that he sold it to me. I then told him how much I needed a good photographer and photo editor and he showed interest. I put him on a series of photography tests, which he passed outstandingly.

“I then employed him on probation for six months with a monthly pay of N70,000, and he consented. But I noticed something with Nicholas: he is always demanding. My company has a scheme called ‘I owe you (IOU)’ to help relieve staff members of their financial burdens until the end of the month when they get their salaries to repay. He was always defaulting in the scheme and would beg me to help him spread the pay beyond the next month.

“When he resigned, he only sent a text, and I asked him if that was the appropriate way to go about things. He then began to insult me, advising me on how to go about human management and leadership. I learned that our office phone was missing; I rang him to no avail after CCTV revealed that a day before his resignation, he had returned to the office, disconnected the office camera, and connected it while heading out. Unperturbed by his actions that are costing my customer database, I reported him to the police, and he was arrested,” he said.

The Chief Executive Officer of Pesther said the photographer was questioned about the disappearance of the phone for days before his case was transferred to the court, stressing that he later confessed to stealing the phone, but it was too late to stop the prosecution.

He maintained that when the pressure for his release was mounting up, he wrote to the Upper Area Court, Mpape in Abuja, where he was prosecuted, to stop the case, but his letter was not approved.

“I heard that the letter was rejected because it was not properly written, of which I did due diligence. I learned about the bail fee when he got to Keffi Correctional Centre. At first, he said it was N20,000, which I sent to one of the people he contacted to beg me for his release. He rang me again and said that it was N50,000. I didn’t believe him because he had always had a distrust for him. So, I informed them to refund me. I did all I could to facilitate his release, and when he returned, he came to my office, and I sent N20,000 to him again with the promise that I would help him get an offer if he changed for good.

Reacting to the viral tweet about Nicholas’ detention, Oluwole said he was shocked to see that, and he learned that the foundation was just trying to get funds from the young man’s situation.

“The person that made the tweet never called me nor heard my own side of the story but went ahead to put such an onslaught post about me, my brand, and even my wife,” he noted.

However, when contacted, Funke Adeoye, founder of Hope Behind Bars Africa, who recently tweeted about Nicholas’s situation, said she was just touched by it and many others that she had done in the past.

She said, “In my foundation, part of my team’s mandate is providing free legal services to indigent awaiting trial inmates who cannot afford legal representation or innocent people behind bars. In some instances, we also help with payment of fines for individuals who cannot pay where they have been charged with a minor crime.

“Someone from a sister organisation, Yiaga Africa, reached out to us about Nicolas’ case, and a member of my team reached out to Keffi Correctional Centre to give us correct details on both the issue and character of the person in question.

“We were informed that Nicholas had been there for 10 months for ‘intentional insult’ and was there because he could not pay some money.

“Normally, we only pay bail sums or fines if there is funding for them, and when Nicholas’ case came up, there wasn’t. So, my colleague reached out to a couple of individuals, and someone anonymously gave us N50,000. My colleague Hassan went to the correctional centre and facilitated his release. When he got out, we gave him some stipends, asked him if he had a place to stay, and told him to settle in and reach out to us later to discuss reintegration plans.”

Speaking on whether the people were paying her for securing the photographer’s release, Adeoye said she never sought financing for her foundation but for Nicholas and that she was glad that people were turning up for him on social media, where his account details were posted.

She further dispelled the rumour that she had used the tweet to taunt Oluwole or his business while admitting that the post was harmless and that she was ready to defend it at any time.

 

Credit: The Punch

BIG STORY

“Twin Warrior”: Paul Okoye Accuses Peter Of Song Theft, Vows To Release ‘Original Version’

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Paul ‘Rudeboy’ Okoye, the Nigerian singer, has accused Peter ‘Mr P’ Okoye, his twin brother, of alleged intellectual property theft.

Mr P recently released the single ‘Winning’ — just a few months after the brothers confirmed that Psquare, their shared music group, was no longer active.

However, in a recent Instagram post, Rudeboy claimed that the song was his, stating that it was meant to feature on his upcoming album. He further alleged that the producer hijacked the track.

“Written and sang by Rudeboy. Produced by same producer. Now how come? Now am I supposed to release another version? Mr Producer, your case is for another day,” he wrote.

“Just a simple thing, bring 6 songs, let me bring 6 songs. I submitted 6 songs to the so-called management. Why re-singing my own song? word for word. Song that was supposed to be in my album next year June.”

In another post, the singer vowed to release “original versions of any copied songs,” adding that “the days of manipulation are over.”

“The days of manipulation are over. And to the management, make I hear any song wey na only me sing, I go release the original version. Oloriburuku! Music is not that hard,” he wrote.

Psquare split in 2017 following a feud between Peter Okoye and Paul. Though they reunited in November 2021, their reconciliation was short-lived.

Paul recently revealed another fallout, accusing Peter of orchestrating his arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Peter, however, denied the allegations and accused Jude Okoye, their older brother, of diverting millions of dollars from their joint account into a secret company.

Paul also expressed frustration over his past role in the music group. He claimed to have done most of the work while others benefited.

Mr P has yet to respond to his brother’s recent allegations.

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US Court Sends British-Nigerian To Seven Years In Jail Over $5m Cyber Fraud

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Oludayo Adeagbo, a British-Nigerian, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar business email compromise (BEC) scheme.

According to the US Department of Justice, Adeagbo, who also goes by John Edwards and John Dayo, conspired with others to steal over $3 million from various entities in Texas, including local government bodies, construction companies, and a Houston-area college.

Adeagbo and his co-conspirators also defrauded a North Carolina university of more than $1.9 million.

The case began in August 2022 when Adeagbo and two other Nigerian citizens, Donald Echeazu, 42, and Olabanji Egbinola, 44, were extradited from the United Kingdom (UK), where they had been residing, to face charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering.

The US Department of Justice stated that the offences were committed in North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.

On April 8, Adeagbo pleaded guilty in two cases against him in North Carolina and Texas for participating in a business email compromise scheme, which is also referred to as a “cyber-enabled financial fraud” scheme.

A business email compromise scheme can be initiated by scammers creating fake accounts that mimic companies a business regularly deals with.

Court records revealed that Adeagbo and his co-conspirators gathered information about significant construction projects across the United States, including a multi-million-dollar project at a university in North Carolina.

“To execute the scheme, Adeagbo, Echeazu, and others registered a domain name similar to that of the legitimate construction company in charge of the university’s project and created an email address that closely resembled that of an employee of the construction company,” the Department of Justice said.

“Using the fake email address, the fraudsters deceived and directed the university to wire a payment of more than $1.9 million to a bank account controlled by an individual working under the direction of Adeagbo and his co-conspirators.”

Adeagbo and his co-conspirators employed the same tactics in Texas, targeting local government entities and universities by impersonating construction companies. They stole over $3 million from the scheme, bringing their total haul to $5 million.

Adeagbo has been ordered to pay $942,655.03 in restitution and will serve seven years in prison.

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BIG STORY

Nigerian-American Oye Owolewa Re-Elected To US Congress

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Oye Owolewa, a Nigerian-American Democrat, has been re-elected as the shadow representative for the District of Columbia (DC).

Owolewa, a PhD graduate from Northeastern University in Boston, made history in November 2020 when he became the first Nigerian-American elected to Congress.

He secured 164,026 votes, or 82.84 percent of the total votes cast in DC.

His role, while not officially recognized by the US government as a full member of Congress, is to advocate for the district’s interests, particularly its bid for statehood.

On Thursday, Owolewa expressed his gratitude to DC voters via a post on X, thanking them for their continued support.

“Thank you DC again for giving me chance to serve. I also want to thank the organizations that have supported, partnered with and endorsed me,” he wrote.

While shadow representatives like Owolewa do not have voting power in the US House of Representatives, they play a key role in pushing for recognition and state-level advocacy for DC residents, who are otherwise disenfranchised at the federal level.

Owolewa has consistently championed the cause of DC statehood, which has become a central focus of his work.

The re-election took place on November 5, the same day as the US presidential election.

In that election, former President Donald Trump defeated Vice-President Kamala Harris, securing over 270 electoral votes to win a second term.

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