Tejuosho was awarded a building contract awarded by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and she allegedly contracted Suku to work with her as a partner financier.
Emmanuel Suku, a financier of Nigerian businesswoman, Mrs. Halimat Adenike Tejuosho’s contract has narrated how she defrauded him of over N436 million, squandered the money on luxury lifestyle and attempted to flee from the country.
Tejuosho was awarded a building contract awarded by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and she allegedly contracted Suku to work with her as a partner financier.
Narrating his dealings with Mrs. Tejuosho in an affidavit he deposed to, Suku told the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, that sometimes between October and November 2021, Mrs. Tejuosho through her company, Haleems Integrated Services Ltd, approached him to partner with her and her company principally as a financier towards the execution of the contract.
The contract which was awarded by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs was “Construction of 500 Units of Houses at Karshi FCT, Abuja for members of the MNDA Staff Multi- Purpose Cooperative Society Limited.”
Suku stated that they had executed an agreement whereby he as the financier would be required to advance the sum of N300million towards the execution of the contract.
However, Halimat Tejuosho kept pestering him for more money to execute the contract and in total, and in a bid to ensure the smooth takeoff and execution of the contract, he made payment of the total sum of N436,325,000 and $21,500 into the bank account which she provided.
But rather than expend the funds on the project it was meant for, “Mrs. Tejuosho began to live extravagantly and criminally misappropriated the money alongside her crony (ies).”
According to the affidavit document, “Shortly after the last tranche was paid to her, she began to avoid the financier. The financier became apprehensive and thus sent his brothers to the site to ascertain if Ms. Halimat had expended the funds for the purpose it was allocated.
“The financier further stated that when his brother visited the site, he called him via WhatsApp and showed him that no single block had been added to the project site by Olori Halimat Tejuosho despite collecting about half a billion naira from the financier for that purpose.”
Suku stated that he found out Mrs. Tejuosho expended the funds on luxury lifestyle including buying of four luxury vehicles worth over N150,000,000; a white colour Mercedes Benz GLE 450 SUV; White Colour, 2018 Model Range Rover Sport; Toyota Prado SUV and a Toyota Hilux Truck.
She also allegedly gave out scholarships with the funds to over 30 students at Espam Formation University, Cotonou, Benin Republic where she sits as Chancellor.
She engaged one Ifeoma Vivienne Obilor, an interior decorator, whom she paid several millions of naira to decorate her house at Plot 125, Block A, Peace Garden Estate, Sangotedo, Lagos State, and thence after, bought furniture’s worth millions of naira from Stanbest Lights and Furniture Limited with the financier’s hard-earned money.
Also, she bought soundproof generator for her house at the sum of N3,800,000 and electronic equipment from Cash and Carry Stores worth millions of Naira in January, 2022.
She also bought clothes, shoes and gold jewelry worth tens of millions and transferred the funds in tranches totaling over N200,000 into a Heritage Bank account belonging to another of her company; Royal Apparel with Account number 5100351905.
It was stated that when Suku confronted Mrs. Tejuosho about his findings, she began to make moves to leave the country before she was arrested.