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Obasanjo’s firm’s top manager plots to kill me, snatch my wife•Says Mr. President’s solicitor, petitions him•Detectives step in

Rotimi Williams

A top management staff of Obasanjo Holdings Limited (names withheld) is currently being investigated by the police over an alleged attempt to snatch the wife of a solicitor to the holdings and a subsequent threat to the life of the solicitor.

The solicitor had alleged in a letter sent to President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is the chairman of the Holdings, that the staff was threatening his life after making attempts to snatch his wife, who is presently residing in the United Kingdom.

Incidentally, the top manager and the solicitor are known to be friends. They use the same building as offices. But that relationship has since gone sour with the alleged attempt by the former to snatch the wife of the latter.

In a three page petition sent to the president, titled : “Threats to my life, facilitated by love advances to my wife”, the solicitor made references to the love letters and an affectionate Easter card sent by the top staff to his (solicitor’s) wife.

The solicitor, in the letter, which was written in a pathetic tone, said he had lost his sleep and had also developed a strange illness since the development. He alleged that many of his pictures which were later traced to the top manager, had mysteriously disappeared from his office.

Part of the letter reads: “Your Excellency, I feel pained to make this official report on the dangerous threat to my life by one of your senior staff, who has also mounted pressures on my wife with the aim of dating and sleeping with her.”

He said in the body of the letter that he got married to his wife on October 18, 1997, adding that he and his wife had been staying together “happily ever since.”

According to the solicitor, the relationship between him and his wife remained blissful until October, 2003 when he decided that his wife should travel to the UK in order to enhance her career as a biochemist and give her exposure.

While stating that the relationship between his wife continued happily as they both spoke regularly on phone, he said trouble started when the top staff “whose wife is well known to my family and whom we both share the same office building at Agbeloba House in Abeokuta, informed me sometime in February that he was travelling on official duty to the United Kingdom.”

It was the top manager’s trip, according to the solicitor, that paved way for him to start making overtures to his wife. The solicitor had innocently given his wife’s phone number in the UK to the top manager who had earlier requested for it on the pretext that he would like to say hello to her while staying abroad.

That action, however, turned against the solicitor. Subsequent telephone conversations with his wife started giving him concern. He stated in the letter that his wife started accusing him of infidelity “despite the fact that she was not here with him in Nigeria”.

The scenario became more confusing when the randy manager came back to Nigeria and told him tales of how his wife was misbehaving in the UK. “He did not stop at that, he also went to poison the mind of my in-laws against me. All this while, I was still in a confused state as to what was really happening,” he stated

The solicitor, however, got to the bottom of the drama when his wife responded to his call last week and informed him about a catalogue of atrocities committed by the randy manager. His wife also sent copies of the love letters sent to her by him, which also included an affectionate Easter card.

He stated that the randy manager had also boasted to his wife that he was the sole controller of Obasanjo’s resources and that he was ready “to splash” any amount on his friend’s wife with the intention of marrying her.

The solicitor further alleged in the letter, which was also sent to the Alake of Egba land, Oba Oyebade Lipede, that he got feelers that the randy manager was about to kill him in order to have his wife, adding that “indications started manifesting when my picture started disappearing mysteriously.”

The lawyer, who said he was betrayed by a friend, indicated in the letter that he had lodged a formal complaint to another top management staff of the Holdings. The staff, according to him, summoned a meeting where the top manager blamed the devil for his alleged misdeeds.

Reacting to the allegation, the offending manager said all his actions were geared towards helping his lawyer friend. He described the letter he wrote to the lawyer’s wife as harmless. The randy manager, who spoke with Sunday Punch at the headquarters of the Holdings, however, denied making plans to kill the lawyer.

When contacted, the Managing Director of the Holdings, Mr. David Atsu, described the incident as an internal affair. He declined to make any comment. The Ogun State Police Commissioner could not be reached either. But a senior police officer who preferred anonymity said the case had been referred to the Criminal Investigation Department of the state.

Sunday Punch also gathered that the State Security Service and the Police could invite the randy manager during the week for allegedly threatening the life of the lawyer.

Sunday Punch, April 18 2004.

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