A United States-based Nigerian, Mr. Tommy Afolabi, popularly known as Mr. B, has appealed to Kemi Badenoch, a Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom, over a failed ₦50 million transaction involving Mr. Olugbenga Adejuwon, a UK-based Nigerian.
While reaching out to Nigerians both at home and in the diaspora, Mr. Afolabi alleged that Mr. Adejuwon defrauded him of ₦50 million, which was transferred to his account on December 10, 2024. The money, according to Mr. Afolabi, was an advance payment for a house in the U.S. on behalf of one Mrs. Otsabomhe.
In his words, “There is a particular family in Nigeria that has always been helping out to buy many things from here in America. They told me that they wanted to buy a house here in America.”
“They told me they had the sum of ₦50 million, which was equivalent to $30,000 at the exchange rate at the time, and asked me to link them with anyone interested in selling a house in America so I could help them secure the property.”
Mr. Afolabi explained that he reached out to a family friend, who then introduced him to Mr. Olugbenga Adejuwon.
He said: “Mr. Adejuwon told me he had up to $30,000 in his U.S. account and requested that I transfer the sum of ₦50 million into his Nigerian bank account. He promised to send the equivalent amount in dollars from his Chase Bank account in America, so the money could meet the deadline for the down payment of the house.”
“Mr. Gbenga Adejuwon gave us his bank account details in Nigeria (bank name withheld), and we made a payment into it. I instructed Mrs. Otsabomhe to pay the sum of ₦50 million into that business account on December 10. The transactions were completed in four tranches, and when the transaction slips were sent to him, he acknowledged receiving the payment.”
However, to Afolabi’s surprise, as soon as the money was credited to Mr. Adejuwon’s account, it was immediately moved out.
“To our amazement, the same day the money hit his account, he quickly transferred the ₦50 million to his personal account. He then moved ₦20 million through GTB Bank to one Mr. Samuel Adesanyi and another ₦30 million to a Nigerian-based shipping company in Lagos State.”
Mr. Afolabi said that after waiting for the $30,000 transfer, he reached out to Mr. Adejuwon on December 12, but the response he received raised suspicions.
“He claimed to have sent the $30,000 to my account and said his client had transferred the money. He even told me he had the transfer slip and would forward it to me once he was done driving. However, I never received anything.”
“To my shocking surprise, the bank did not authorize the transfer because it was flagged as fraudulent. If the transaction had gone through, it could have put me in jail. Up till today, no dollars have been received, and he has refused to return the ₦50 million.”
According to Mr. Afolabi, all efforts to retrieve the money have been futile.
“The name on the transfer slip is Mrs. Otsabomhe’s. Mr. Adejuwon has not refunded any money to me or to Mrs. Otsabomhe. The $30,000 has not been paid, and he keeps making excuses for why he cannot return the ₦50 million.”
“I have ended up losing the house that I was trying to purchase for the Otsabomhe family, and they have been on my neck since I was the one who introduced Mr. Gbenga to them. I did not know that Mr. Gbenga staged all this to defraud and rob us.”
“It is now very clear to us that he never had any dollars in his bank account, and he had no intention of fulfilling his promise. He simply used his business account with a bank in Nigeria to receive funds, then quickly moved the money out.”
Afolabi said his repeated calls to Mr. Adejuwon have been ignored saying: “He kept saying he was expecting money from cryptocurrency to refund the ₦50 million, but I have lost sleep over this. The family that owns the money has been pressuring me, and my own family is now in jeopardy because of this situation.”
Frustrated by the lack of progress in resolving the matter, Mr. Afolabi is now appealing to Nigerians and international authorities for help.
“I am calling on Nigerians to advise me on how to proceed. I want Mr. Gbenga Adejuwon to refund the ₦50 million that was sent into his account.”
“He is leveraging the fact that he resides in the UK and believes no one can hold him accountable. This has destroyed my relationship, business, and trust with the Otsabomhe family.”
Afolabi also revealed that Mr. Adejuwon’s sister, Mrs. Tinuola Agbabiaka of RCCG Christ Church in Gbagada, Lagos, who is married to Pastor Agbabiaka, has pleaded with her brother to refund the money, but he has allegedly been avoiding calls and blocking those reaching out to him.
In his final plea, Mr. Afolabi has appealed to Kemi Badenoch, a UK Member of Parliament, to intervene.
“I am using this medium to appeal to Kemi Badenoch and other relevant UK authorities to help me in this matter. Mr. Gbenga Adejuwon is a UK resident, and he is refusing to refund the ₦50 million sent to his account since last year.”