Richard Apena
The younger brother of a missing real estate and property mogul, Bankole James Ojeaburu, has lately cried out to the general public to save him from suspected hired assassins that have been trailing him since his fight for justice over the sudden disappearance of his elder brother began, just as the wives of the missing man, Monday Tony Ojeaburu, have allegedly been selling off and disposing his houses and landed property.
The visibly troubled Bankole, in his Save-our- soul (SoS) petition to the office of the Inspector General of Police, Louis Edet House, Shehu Shagari Way, Abuja, stated that apart from receiving several strange calls from unknown persons directly threatening his life, he had through mother-luck escaped three physical attacks on the streets of Lagos – one by men in Army uniforms who attempted to kidnap him, but for the timely intervention of sympthatisers who spirited him away from the scene.
Bankole alleged that on another occasion, a man whom he later handed over to the police in Mushin, jumped into his compound in the middle of the night with the intention of harming him if not for his vigilant neighbours, who raised the alarm before the suspect was apprehended and handed over to the police.
According to him, “It has been nightmare all through, since I started the crusade to unravel
the circumstances that led to the disappearance of my elder brother. I have been subjected to psychological ill-treatment by those that were supposed to be the in-road to justice. Consider the dirty act of one Olawole Oguntoye Emmanuel in the SCID Panti, Lagos. He appears to be the engine room for those illegally selling my brother’s properties. He surreptitiously harasses, embarrasses and even threatens me with arrest . The plan was to lock me up while the disgrunted elements will have the leeway to continue to perpetrate their assault and illegality on my brother’s properties through illegal sales.
“Of course, my aged mother was not spared by the officer who repeatedly tongue-lashed her in the presence of onlookers, all because he is a police officer.
“For now, I watch my steps as I have to be passing the night in different places to avoid physical harm, as those suspected to be behind the whole saga would not give peace a chance.
“Those that are complicit in the matter are the very ones sending shady characters to eliminate me. Come to think of it, why are they they following the path of falsehood? Majority of these people are not our family members. Their interest in this matter is not in isolation.
“But would they have me killed to justify the illegal occupation and sale of the sprawling properties of the missing man? Perhaps, they see me as a stumbling block on their way.”
Bankole claimed to be in possession of other information to the effect that the shady characters have been holding clandestine meetings with a view to harming him at all cost.
He said, “All these have been communicated to the right authority.
“The police high command are also aware of the involvement of other elements that have been using their names and position to obstruct the course of justice.”
Distraught Bankole said that in another instance, one of his traducers even brought in one officer Ezekiel, to intimidate him before whisking him away to an unknown destination and later arraigned him on trump up charges; but that their antics failed when his lawyer suddenly showed up to intervene in the matter.
“Each day I live is a plus.These devilish characters are restless and I will not relent until justice is done in this matter,” he said.
A letter of inquiry sent by our correspondent to the police top brass in SCID for the purpose of clarifications on the matter was never replied.
Recall that Monday Tony Ojeaburu had on 13th December 2021 travelled to Baylesa State to supervise one of his newly acquired landed properties.
He was said to have boarded an Agofure bus at Jibowu Park, Yaba, Lagos and arrived at his destination at about 5.45 PM.
The ex banker was said to have on arrival in Bayelsa put through a call to his younger brother, one James Ojeaburu to intimate him of his successful arrival in Baylesa.
The property guru was also said to have told Bankole James Ojeaburu, his younger brother, who doubles as his business partner, in a plain language that he (the ex-banker) would be visiting one of his wives known as Mrs. Favour Ojeaburu, who bore him a child called Miss Bunmi Ojeaburu, amongst other directives.
Checks revealed that at about 9.45pm on the same day of his arrival in Bayelsa, one Azeez who claimed to be calling from Agofure Motors, informed Bankole that the bus reportedly boarded by Mr. Monday Tony Ojeaburu, was involved in a fatal accident .
He said, “The family put a call to his mobile phone; it rang intermittently but without anyone picking it up.
“On 16th December, 2021, the younger brother of the property magnate, while having sleepless nights over his mysterious disappearance, reportedly travelled down to Bayelsa only to be told that a Jeep rammed into the vehicle boarded by his elder brother and that the vehicle caught fire and killed all the passengers.
“We asked questions if anyone survived the accident. We asked questions relating to the corpses of the victims.We asked questions relating to autopsy and police reports-to no avail.The stories were no way in consonance with true events.Inconsistencies were just too many. The story smacks of a grand conspiracy.
“There had been a lingering problem between my missing brother and one of his live-in-lovers, who did not have any child for him, Mrs Faith Temene, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa.
“The feud was over the control of estates in Elebele Near the AirForce Base at Opolo Estate, Bayelsa. It was shocking to note that the woman has swiftly taken over the control of his Estates by sending away the accredited agent in-charge to the detriment of the aged mother of the missing person. And beyond this, she seems not concerned about the plight of the missing person.”
Bankole said that, the matter was promptly reported to the Department of State Security Services(DSS) and the police at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Lagos, who swung into action.
“The duo of Inspector Ebenezer Omirefa and Sergeant Adewuyi Adeyinka of SCID were assigned to the case.
“The matter soon degenerated into a child’s play as those arrested in the wake of investigation were let off the hook without informing the complainants, while those charged to court were merely for the offences not related to the matter under investigation. Despite the hasty charge of the suspects said to be complicit in the disappearance of Mr. Monday Tony Ojeaburu to court by the police, the nominal complainant in the matter was never informed.
“A section of the family members, which include Mrs. Bukola Popoola Ojeaburu, and others were also said to have lately exhibited Corporate Affairs Commission documents which showed that they held meetings with the purported missing person in the months of May and July 2022, several months after his disappearance wherein they claimed that my brother gave a surrender of shares.”
Indepth investigations revealed that at the Afolabi Brown Street, Akoka, Lagos, residence of Monday Tony Ojeaburu, lies a tomb purported to be that of the missing businessman, Monday Tony Ojeaburu with his name boldly inscribed on it.
The mysterious tomb was said to have been constructed without the knowledge of other members of his family.
To this, James Bankole Ojeaburu, queried, “Who declared Monday Tony Ojeaburu dead and where did Bidemi Taofikat Akashoro, who was cohabiting with the missing man, get his remains to bury?
Is there a valid Medical Report or Coroner’s Report or Autopsy verifying his death? Is there a license to bury him within a living premises?
“We are still searching for my missing brother and others are busy scheming to sell his properties like those at 10 Odushina Street, Ladipo, the one at Church Street, Mushin, the one at Itire opposite Morgan, the property at Olajide Street, Bamgboye Street and others and even already pronounced him dead! This is blue Murder!”