A coalition of former militant leaders involved in the anti-Pipeline Vandalization, Oil Theft and Illegal Bunkering activities along the waterways and creeks of the Niger Delta region, have threatened a former Managing Director of Skye Bank, Mr Olatunde John Ayeni over asset’s squabble with business tycoon, Captain Hosa Okunbor, the chairman of Ocean Marine Solutions(OMSL) Nigeria Limited.
BIGPEN had reported that the former chairman of the board of directors, Skye Bank Plc, had petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged forceful takeover of a company by his partner, Okunbor, according to report.
Ayeni, had in the petition dated December 7 written by his counsel, Femi Falana, asked the commission to investigate “gross mismanagement and criminal diversion of company funds” by Idahosa Okunbo, his business partner with whom he said he founded Ocean Marine Solutions Limited.
But the coalition of militant leaders involved in the anti-Pipeline Vandalization, Oil Theft and Illegal Bunkering activities, have described as “pure blackmail” the allegations of mismanagement, stealing and diversion funds leveled against Okunbor.
The former militants, said that they have forwarded a protest letter to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector General of Police(IGP) and the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to disregard what they called “the purported allegations made by Mr Olatunde John Ayeni”.
They said that the allegations were coming from “a drowning man struggling to take his last breath and are being made under duress during interrogation under EFCC net.
“They are sponsored and carelessly targeted at co-opting innocent individuals into his ongoing investigation by the financial anti-graft commission over alleged money laundering, mismanagement and embezzlement of billions that belongs to Skye Bank.”
The coalition of ex-militant leaders, after an emergency meeting called by the leadership of the group,
Arising from an emergency meeting, the group in a statement signed by ‘Gen’ Fiawei Pathfinder (aka ‘General’ Osama), said preliminary investigation into the business dealing between the duo of Tunde Ayeni and Captain Hosa Okunbo revealed that the palaver was due to the former’s sales of his shares in the OMSL Company.
According to the statement, “for the purpose of clarification before the general public Mr. Olatunde John Ayeni approached Captain Hosa Okunbor and told him that he want to sell off his portion of shares of 30,000,000 Ordinary Shares of N1 each that belongs to him in the OMSL company due to his ordeal with the EFCC, the anti-graft agency and Captain Hosa agreed and this was done on the 8th of August 2018, after proper documentations and papers has been duly signed by the both parties and on the 26th of November 2018 Captain Hosa Okunbor transferred the sum of N1,000,000,000 (One billion naira to Mr Olatunde Ayeni through his Sterling Bank account in Central Area branch in Abuja, account name bearing Olutoyi Estate Development and Services Ltd, an account owned by Mr Tunde John Ayeni.
“And the balance sum was paid fully in March 2019,and this information was also forwarded to the Corporate Affairs Commission(CAC) and EFCC for further notification for record purpose and even the office of the Vice President was duly notified accordingly, and that Mr Tunde John Ayeni has sold out all his shares of 73,150,000 ordinary shares he has in OMSL Company which was now transferred to Wells Property Development Company Ltd owned by Captain Hosa Okunbor.
“Base on this fact of agreement, Mr Olatunde John Ayeni also resigned his position as Director in Ocean Marine Solutions Company Ltd, (OMSL) therefore Mr Tunde Ayeni is no longer a Director and a shareholder of Ocean Marine Solutions Company Ltd and its subsidiaries.
“We therefore seize this opportunity to condemn in totality the cheap blackmail, false allegations and lies cooked and doctored by Mr Olatunde John Ayeni and his co-ill-fated travelers who are enemies of progress that are out to dent and drag the name of Captain Hosa Okunbor to the mud and trying to malign the Ocean Marine Solutions Company in bad light.”
They also warned that “Mr Tunde John Ayeni with his co-travelers who are specialists in cooking and plotting false allegations against Captain Hosa should desist from this inhuman, wicked, malicious, devilish act or else we the ex-militants in the Niger Delta would have no choice than to tag them as enemies to Captain Hosa and his immediate family.
“We will not hesitate to declare them wanted including their families. Their properties will not be spared if anything happens to Captain Hosa and his businesses across Nigeria and abroad.
“Enough is enough and we will not fold our hands and allow corrupt minded fellows like Tunde Ayeni and his cohorts that does not have any single integrity in the society to dent the good name of Captain Hosa.
“Captain who is a man of honor and a peace loving, people’s friendly leader in the Niger Delta and Nigeria at large and we will do everything humanly possible to put a final stop to those who are attacking him and trying to damage his name.
“He is our kinsman from the Niger Delta who has created a lot of job opportunities for the youths in the region through his pipeline surveillance contract job in the creeks of the region.”
