Life of Ghanaian born British consultant under threat in Nigeria

By Justice Lee

For his persistence in demanding his consultancy fee for over three-year service, Ghanaian born British consultant, Kofi Manu feels threatened by his client turned assailant, one Dr Alhaji Abdulganiyu Obatoyinbo, his wife Iyabo Obatoyinbo.

He said the couple who had accumulated consultancy fee in excess of 869,000.00 British Pounds Sterling have now refused blatantly to pay for his services rendered them since the third quarter of 2009.

Mr. Manu, who has to go into in hiding in Afri ca’s most populous country for the safety of his life, said he was originally hired by his alleged assailants for their social care business in Ezy Care Home Services Limited located at 42 Exbury Lane Milton Keynes MK4 4FE in the United Kingdom.

According to him, the couple subsequently invited him to Nigeria, first in February 2009 for further assignments for which he had to return to Nigeria to carry out on their behalf.

“In the third quarter of 2009 when he was unexpectedly retired by the President Y’Aradua government from the Nigerian Civil Service, Dr Obatoyinbo and his third wife, Iyabo impressed upon me to assist them setup Redbricks Consultants for its continuous operation,” the consultant said in an emailed message from his hiding in Nigeria..

This activity, he said kept him in provision of his consultancy services to the Obatoyinbos businesses in England and in Nigeria.

He explained that due to the cordial relationship he had had with his clients he made the mistake of deferring payment for them over the period.

“They appeared genuine and honest, they have invested in properties in England, some held in third party names which I am aware of hoping that if things ever went wrong I could fall back on that. I never considered that deferring payment for them would ever turn the relationship into the ugly monster it has developed into,” Mr. Manu maintained.

The consultant said the projects he worked on for the couple included a proposed multi-million Health and Social Care business with over Two Million Pounds capital requirement in Britain until they withdrew for fear of the downturn in the housing market in 2008 onward.

He said the couple also had existing businesses in Nigeria including Micro Finance Institutions, Water and Beverage Production Line, Micro Hotels and Estates which all were poorly managed.

The consultant alleged that the couple began to show their true nature first when he (Manu) refused to participate in a 98 Million Naira fraud perpetrated against the Nigerian Police under the guise of providing anti-corruption training for senior officers of the Nigerian Police Force in July 2011 in a contract awarded by Ministry of Police Affairs as part of the Nigerian Police Reforms programmes by the government of President Goodluck Jonathan.

“Then the heavens came tumbling down when I hinted Dr Alhaji Obatoyinbo that I wanted a meeting with him and his wife Iyabo to discuss my remuneration with a view to bring my engagement to an end and return home to London,” Mr. Manu stated.

He went on that “on 23rd December 2011 they evicted me without notice from the hotel accommodation they provided for me at Maitama in Abuja – Q Palace Hotel which is owned by Dr. Obatoyinbo; after a bogus meeting they convened on 22nd November 2011, to resolve the issues didn’t go their way.”

“From that moment onward I knew my life was at risk and have to take precaution, and relied on my private investigation skills to ensure my protection,” Mr. Manu added.

When the a Nigerian law firm representing the Ghanaian-born British consultant wrote on June 12, 2012 after a long period of silence, to remind the Obatoyimbos of their indebtedness, they wrote back through one Dr Francis Omotayo Oni (a cousin of Mrs. Iyabo Obatoyimbo) who acts as their legal counsel to deny Mr. Manu ever carried out any work for them.

In addition, the letter signed by the learned Dr. Francis Omotayo Oni, made a criminal counter claim to the effect that Mr Manu who apparently never worked for them, left with their “laptop and expensive softwares” worth a total of 600,000,000 Naira ” about 3,745,000 in USD equivalent or 2,404,000 equivalent in Great British Pounds.

They have even denied the existence of the contractual relationship in England relating to their social care business, which is expressly held in the register of the regulator – Ofsted; says the Ghana born British Investment and Strategic Management Consultant.

At least, for now, Mr. Manu’s Accra office has provided pictorial evidence of activities carried out involving him and his client in Nigeria.

When contacted, Dr Alhaji Obatoyinbo, who first denied knowing anyone by name Kofi Manu, later admitted knowing him by the name Julius Manu.

“He never did any work for me, and I don’t owe him anything,” he insisted, adding that the consultant had stolen his software and laptop.

When told of pictures available of him and Mr. Manu as well as other people at work, Dr. Alhaji Obatoyinbo laughed and asked this reporter to go ahead and publish his story.

Although he admitted owning Redbricks Consultants he denied owning Ezy Care Home Services Limited in the UK.

“He is a wanted man in Nigeria: The Police are looking for him. Ask him to report himself to the police and pay my debt,” he insisted in a telephone interview.

Dr Abdulganiyu Obatoyinbo

Redbricks Consultants Telephone number: +234 803 313 8472

Telephone number of the lawyer - Dr Francis Omotayo Oni: +234 807 474 7129

Redbricks Consultants website: http://redbricksconsultants.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=256&Itemid=48

Redbricks Consultants facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/RED-Bricks-Consultants-Limited/374251569299234?sk=photos