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By Lukman Olabiyi
A businessman, Kenneth Amadi, has told Justice Ambrose Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Lagos, that he did not steal N2.9 billion from Eunisell Ltd as alleged by the Federal Government.
Amadi made the clarification when he opened his defence in the alleged N2. 9 billion fraud charge filed against him by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).
Amadi said he joined the company sometime in 2000, based on an oral agreement, and that he helped grow Eunisell’s business from a paltry N8 million to billions of naira when he was about exiting the company in 2016.
He said there was no problem between him and the Chairman and owner of Eunisell Nigeria Limited, Mr Chika Ikenga, throughout the 16 and a half years he was with him until 2016, when he decided to leave the company and concentrate on his own company.
The defendant, a chemical engineer by profession, said, in his testimony, that when he decided to leave the company to concentrate on his own business, he went to meet Mr Ikenga to inform him about the development.
He said immediately he informed Ikenga about his position, he (Ikega) got angry and started threatening him, saying that it was not possible for him to start a business that would compete with his own.
He added that Mr Ikenga vowed to make sure that he destroys him and the business. Going further, Amadi said, on October 28 of that year 2016, the chairman invited him to his office, where he met him and one of his friends, adding that at the meeting, the chairman, again, repeated his threat to destroy him with all the means at his disposal.
Amadi added that while this was going on, the chairman’s friend who was at the meeting was videoing what was happening and that it was at the meeting that Ikenga asked him to tender his letter of resignation, despite the fact that he was not given any letter of employment.
“I tendered the resignation letter to show good faith and not that I was under any obligation to do so,” the defendant said.
Amadi testified that apart from promoting the company’s image, he used his influence to bear on the company to the extent that many big companies, like A-Z International, Ammasco Ltd, the Nigerian Airforce and Navy, among others, started to buy the company’s lubricant oil.
The Navy and the likes were buying Ammasco’s products through my efforts and expertise.
He said that not long after the October meeting with Ikenga and his friend, Ikenga started writing to his business partners, including foreign partners, telling them, initially, that he stole his money. He said Ikenga’s action/motive was just to tarnish his image.
The defendant denied ever stealing the company money in any sum, and that all the money paid through him were delivered to the company and acknowledged by the company finance manager, who was directly responsible to the chairman.
He said he was not in any way connected to the books of the company or the company’s finances, except the money paid to him by by some of the clients he introduced to the company who paid money through him, to ensure that their money was safe and that all the money were paid to the company without any issue or problem.
He told the court that in December 2016, Ikenga and Eunisell wrote a petition to the police, alleging that he stole his N102 million, but that the police, after investigation, exonerated him of all the allegations.
When asked if the third prosecution witness, DCP Ada Uche Anya, was in the police team that investigated him, Amadi said that the female police officer was never in the team, adding that he never saw her before or knew her, except, surprisingly, the day she came and gave evidence in the court, on the petition she was not part of the team that investigated it.
The judge adjourned the case till October 20 for adoption of written addresses by parties.
