From Fred Itua, Abuja
Chairman and chief executive officer of Red Brick Homes International Limited, Sade Balogun, has dismissed allegations made by a Lagos-based businesswoman, Adeyinka Igbinoba, wherein she was accused of playing a role in her travails.
Igbinoba, had in a story, published by a section of the media, claimed that she was brutalised by an estate agent, Mr. Saheed Mosadoluwa.
Explaining her role, Balogun said she wanted to play the role of a mediator and resolve the lingering issue, hence her intervention.
She said: “All I tried to do was to play the part of an arbitrator between the two parties.
“Mosadoluwa swore to me he didn’t do it, while Igbinoba said he did it and she has a video of him doing it. I, therefore, asked for the video, so I could confront him with it. I never got the video. The only video she has is the surgery video.
“My role became ‘threat to life and attempted murder of Adeyinka Igbinoba’. I am putting it mildly that I was shocked when I found out.
Speaking further, she explained: “I was an arbitrator, both parties were like my children. As a mother, I intervened and tried to sort out the matter. Saheed Mosadoluwa swore to me that he did not break Adeyinka Igbinoba’s leg.
“While Adeyinka said he did it and she has a video of him doing it. I therefore asked for the video, so I could confront him with it. I never got the video. Nevertheless I pressed for the balance of N15 million from Saheed, less the usual agency fees, but Saheed refused saying that the EFCC case was not withdrawn and more police stations were being brought into the matter.
“I gave Adeyinka the feedback, not knowing that I had offended her by asking for the video evidence with which I intended to confront Saheed with. She did not produce the said video.
“It’s only reasonable for anyone with such evidence to quickly forward it to support their allegation, especially given the fact that I was trying to help her get back the balance of her money.
“The truth is that, I did not disbelieve her and I did not disbelieve Saheed either. I was only acting as a neutral peace maker. It’s so unfortunate that the whole story was twisted by some people for their own mischievous objectives.
“You can see that there is a calculated attempt to bring my name into disrepute. In the interview she granted you, she alleged that the police arrested me when I asked for proof of the video she said she had. In the first interview which was published by some newspapers who have unprofessionally refused me right of response, she claimed I was arrested because I did not allow the police to arrest her alleged attacker.
“In the same vein, just to show you the liar she is, in the first interview she said Mosadoluwa broke her leg himself. This was what she told me and also that she had it on video, and that was why I requested for the video so I could property confront the man. In this interview granted to your reporters, she again changed her story to his thugs attacked her.
“I am not in any way involved in this matter, neither was I present at the scene. All I wanted was to make peace. All I want now is for Adeyinka and her cohorts to desist from this campaign of calumny.”