Peter Rufai, ex-Eagles goalkeeper, ‘defrauds’ businessman trying to build sports complex – Newstrends
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Peter Rufai, ex-Eagles goalkeeper, ‘defrauds’ businessman trying to build sports complex

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2 years ago

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A businessman in Ibadan, Debo Thomas, has narrated how Peter Rufai, a former Nigerian goalkeeper, took his N1 million and denied him value for it.

He also accused Rufai of using his influence within the police to avoid refunding his money.

Thomas said Rufai had promised to help achieve his dream of building a sports complex. A friend connected the duo in 2021, and not long after, they agreed to meet in the latter’s office in Festac, Lagos.

According to Thomas, an elated Rufai accepted the project after their meeting in October 2025.

“He said he wanted to be a part of the project. The way he spoke, it felt like this was something he could do. He said he had done something like that before. He said he had helped Belgium build their sports city,” Thomas told FIJ.

“Rufai said he was going to create a sports city for Lagos but was double-crossed by officials of the state government. He told me not to worry because he had templates. He said he would give me everything he had on the project because he was not all about money.”

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Thomas said he refused to accept a template without a fee because he thought that Rufai must have spent some money on the template and thus should be paid for his effort. Rufai strongly disagreed, saying he would get back to Thomas.

Thomas went his way after the meeting ended, only to receive a call from Rufai that same day, telling him he would like to have a meeting with him the following Monday to discuss a few things.

A copy of the judgement of the court

Thomas said he agreed without hesitation. According to Thomas, he arrived at Rufai’s office before the agreed time of 2 pm, but his host didn’t show up until 4 pm.

“When he arrived, he blamed his delay on the traffic he claimed to have encountered coming from the Republic of Benin. But even if there was gridlock, he did not take our calls. In fact, my team and I met him by the roadside when we were already taking our leave,” he said.

This time, Thomas said, Rufai came with a lady called Mikaila, whom he introduced as his wife, manager and co-director of Star Roof Sports Development, his company.

Thomas said he asked Rufai the second time what he wanted him to pay for the template he wanted to give him, and he insisted he wasn’t in it for the money but for a legacy.

“We needed him to tell us how much the template would cost, and then we’d talk about how much he’d charge us to help us set up the sports academy, but he said he wouldn’t charge us,” Thomas said.

Thomas said before he and his team left the meeting spot, Rufai gave him a UBA account number and asked him to pay into the account based on his discretion.

“We spoke to the lady, but she said that if we paid the money, it would be donated to charity because Peter Rufai was wealthy. He didn’t name a price. “We concluded we should pay with our discretion,” he explained.

PROBLEM AFTER PAYMENT

After the meeting ended, Thomas said he, his lawyer, and a friend contemplated what to pay Rufai. The following day, he sent a million naira to him.

“When I called him so he could acknowledge the payment, he said he was expecting more than a million naira. He then said we should add N3.5 million,” he said.

Confused, Thomas asked Rufai why he did not state any figure for his expectations earlier, but instead of providing an answer, Rufai said he spent more than a million on the template.

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“All I saw was inconsistency. I wanted Rufai to share with my team an executive summary of his plan since we had shown commitment by paying a million naira without seeing anything, but he never did.”

He said at first, Rufai assured him he would forward the documents for the template, but later asked him to be patient because he wanted to make some adjustments to it.

Four weeks later, Rufai did not tell him the status of the adjustments, Thomas said. He said he called Rufai himself to find out why he had not heard from him, but he told him to pay between N8 and N10 million before he would release the template.

RUFAI HOLDS ON TO A MILLION

Thomas said he asked Rufai to send his N1 million in frustration, as he and his team were no longer interested in the project.

“But he did not want to pay back the money. He brought in a lawyer to structure the terms of payment with my lawyer. However, when the lawyer heard of how the matter began, he couldn’t function normally,” said Thomas.

When the lawyer failed to effect a change, Thomas and his team had a meeting with Rufai to discuss the entire terms of payment.

“We told him we’d have to sign the memorandum of understanding between his and our companies before we gave him anything else, including the executive summary. He said he would get it ready by January 2022,” Thomas stated.

Thomas said Rufai started calling him in January 2022 for the balance of the deal even when he had presented no plan.

He said he asked him to show him a plan but Rufai kept telling him not to worry. Days later, Thomas said, Rufai stopped taking his calls.

Thomas wrote to Rufai, asking him to refund his money, but Rufai told him that until he made the complete payment of N8 million, he would not give him any template.

“At that point, I was angry. I told him I wanted no trouble with him. And I didn’t expect him to be dubious. I forwarded him my account number and asked for a refund, but he would not refund,” said Thomas.

An email from Rufai to Thomas

Thomas said he stumbled on links from online newspapers connecting Rufai with a fraudulent deal in Belgium. He said he forwarded it to Rufai, telling him to refund him because he didn’t want to add to his already tarnished media image.

When Rufai failed to show concern, Thomas wrote him and gave him an ultimatum to pay up, but once again, he didn’t care.

RUFAI INTIMIDATES THOMAS WITH THE POLICE

Thomas was amazed in March when his lawyer called him and said there was a petition from the Lagos Police at Onikan to produce him.

Thomas’ lawyer went to the police to ask what the matter was, but they wouldn’t tell him. Since he knew what the police could do, Thomas wrote a counter-petition to a higher office – Alagbon – but the police took no action.

He said his lawyer took the matter to the Ogba Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for them to get justice, but despite the judge’s order, Rufai still did not pay him.

“As I walked out of the court after absession in which I appeared as a witness in June, two guys blocked me and told me I was under arrest. Immediately after I saw them, I saw Peter Rufai pointing his fingers towards me,” Thomas said.

“I wasn’t sure who they were, but they threatened to shoot me, and then they drove me to a police station in Onikan. They would not listen to my side of the story. They accused me of sending assassins to Rufai, burning his car and threatening his life.

“I said Rufai cooked this up to distract from the facts, and no one was going to look at the substance of the matter.

“Before I knew it, they were harassing me. They didn’t let me have my phone to call people until later in the evening.

“The officer said he knew the substance of the matter, but I had to pay him some money for them to grant me bail and later settle with Rufai. It was late, and they threw me in their cell. When they gave me my phone, I called some of my friends.”

Thomas said the police released him the following morning but didn’t let him go immediately. That was where he learned Rufai was a friend of a senior official in that command.

“The police called Rufai and me saying they wanted us to settle, but I told them it was already in court. They said it was a civil matter. They wanted to take me to court, knowing Lagos is not my territory and it might be difficult for me to meet bail terms.

“One officer said what was happening was not right. They let me go that day, although I paid some money. I left, and they told me to come back another day. The day I went back, Rufai didn’t show up. The police officers said Rufai was not showing up and I could go. I wrote an undertaking before I left.

“The car he accused me of burning has not been the subject of an investigation by the police. There was no investigation into the alleged assassination attempt. As evidence, he only presented a screenshot of the chat in which I stated he had a history of fraud. He said I was defaming him.

“Since the police stopped calling me, we have focused on the case in court. The court judgement asked Rufai to refund my N1 million. I thought Rufai would reach out, but he didn’t. My lawyer said we should make another abdication to enforce the judgement, but I wasn’t ready for the wahala.

UFAI’S RESPONSE

When FIJ called Rufai on his mobile line, he refrained from speaking, claiming the matter was still in court.

Based on documents obtained by FIJ however, the court has since ordered Rufai to pay Thomas a million naira.

When this reporter asked Rufai for his part of the story, he said, “It would be nice for your source to explain to you everything that has trespassed and where the case is at the moment. The person has not given you the complete information. Whatever the person has told you has not made sense.”

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50% fare slash: Luxury bus owners increase trips as more travellers throng parks

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8 hours ago

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December 30, 2024

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50% fare slash: Luxury bus owners increase trips as more travellers throng parks

 

More travellers heading to their country homes for the yuletide and end-of-the-year festivities have thronged luxury bus parks especially in Lagos to enjoy the Federal Government’s 50 percent fare slash offered on inter-state travels.

In response to this, the Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria (ALBON) has announced an increase in the number of scheduled trips on the Lagos-South East and Lagos-South South routes which will last until the end of the Christmas/New Year season.

This, it stated, was in response to the complaints of insufficient capacity to address the upsurge in the number of passengers on the affected routes.

The 50 percent fare slash on inter-state travels was last week approved by President Bola Tinubu for the Yuletide season.

A press statement by ALBON President, Mr. Nonso Ubajaka, and the Honorary Secretary, Mr. Frank Nneji, obtained on Monday disclosed that the Lagos-South-East and Lagos-South South routes had been witnessing an unprecedented increase in passengers since the commencement of the Presidential palliative.

The statement said there had been a sharp rise in the frequency of luxury bus departures from the popular Terminal 1 inter-state public motor park at Oshodi in Lagos as Lagosians were determined to take advantage of President Tinubu’s 50 percent fare palliative to travel to various destinations for the Yuletide season.

At the well lit Terminal 1 on Saturday, December 28, it was discovered that more people preferred to travel with the night buses as passengers thronged the various luxury bus transport companies’ booths to obtain their tickets at half the current fares.

A huge crowd of passengers was reported at the Oshodi Transport Interchange. They queued to obtain the rebate tickets even as others positioned their luggages for loading ahead of boarding.

The buses offering the special fares bore banners with bold inscriptions informing travellers that the gesture was a “Presidential Palliative” passed through the luxury bus owners umbrella body.

Despite large presence of intending passengers at the terminal, there was no stampede or breakdown of law and order as earlier reported by some online fake news platforms.

Checks at the various booths even on Sunday morning showed that a discounted fare of N23,500, which is half of the current N47,000 was being collected from the intending passengers for trips to eastern destinations like Onitsha, Owerri and Umuahia.

The high demand for the cheaper tickets has led to a situation where intending travellers throng the terminal hours ahead of night departures, while many others spend the night there to be able to pay for the discounted fare and board the early morning buses.

Some of the member-companies of the Association of the Luxury Bus Association of Nigeria (ALBON) seen selling the rebate tickets at the terminal are Evergreen Express, Okeyson Transport, Ifeanyichukwu Transport, Izuchukwu Transport, God Bless Ezenwata and Gobison Transport.

Just before departure on Saturday night, some of the passengers on board an Evergreen luxury bus going to Aba who paid N23,500 each, expressed their gratitude to President Tinubu for the fare palliative.

One of them said, ”This is the best Christmas gift anyone can get. I had given up hope of travelling home this season due to the high fares until I heard that the luxury bus transporters are partnering with the Federal Government to sell tickets at half the prices.”

Similarly, some excited Aba-bound passengers on board an Okeyson luxury bus confirmed that they benefited from the 50 percent discount, and thanked the President for subsidising Christmas season travels through the luxury bus transporters.

While an Izu Chukwu bus was seen departing to Asaba, another one belonging to Ezenwata was seen boarding Aba passengers all of whom were visibly excited that they could benefit from the “Tinubu’s palliative.”

Expressing their gratitude to the Federal Government for relieving them of the burden of high transport fares at a time of economic difficulties in Nigeria, most of them appealed for an extension of the January 5, 2025 end date, even as others hope for a similar gesture during the 2025 Christmas season.

“I am happy that I am travelling with my children with the 50 percent tickets. The President has done well, and pray he does it again next Christmas, so that poor people can travel home to meet their relations,” said a Gobison passenger, who disclosed that he and his family were also beneficiaries in 2023.

The leadership of ALBON last week commended President Tinubu for approving the subsidy on Yuletide trips.

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Abducted 7-year-old girl rescued in Ogun, kidnapper arrested

Published

9 hours ago

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December 30, 2024

By

SP Omolola Odutola

Abducted 7-year-old girl rescued in Ogun, kidnapper arrested

A seven-year-old girl identified as Mercy Akande, who was abducted recently at Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area (LGA) of Ogun State has been rescued by the police.

Her abductor was also arrested in the operation by the anti-kidnapping team of Ogun State Police Command

In a statement in Ota on Sunday, Ogun Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Omolola Odutola, said the girl was rescued at Ayetoro Town in Ogun.

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Odutola said the girl was rescued by the Police anti-kidnapping team, led by the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo.

“The suspects who abducted the innocent girl were also arrested in the course of rescuing the victim,” she said.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) said the suspects, while holding the girl captive, had demanded for ransom from the parents.

She however gave no further information on the suspects or the ransom being demanded.

Abducted 7-year-old girl rescued in Ogun, kidnapper arrested

(NAN)

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Nigeria gets World Bank $1.5bn loan

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10 hours ago

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December 30, 2024

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Nigeria gets World Bank $1.5bn loan

The World Bank has disbursed a $1.5 billion loan to Nigeria under the Reforms for Economic Stabilisation to Enable Transformation (RESET) Development Policy Financing initiative.

The loan, approved on June 13, 2024, was released in record time following Nigeria’s implementation of critical reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidies and comprehensive tax policies.

This fast disbursement contrasts with other loan programmes, which typically experience delays due to slow or partial implementation of conditions.

For instance, the World Bank has also disbursed $1.88 million of a $750 million loan for the Accelerating Resource Mobilization Reforms (ARMOR) project, approved alongside the RESET programme.

Loan disbursement timeline 

  • The first tranche of $750 million, a credit facility under the International Development Association (IDA) with a 12-year maturity and six-year grace period, was disbursed on July 2, 2024.
  • The second tranche of $750 million, issued by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) with a 24-year maturity and 11-year grace period, followed in November 2024.

The World Bank document read: “This document summarizes the progress made under the Reforms for Economic Stabilization to Enable Transformation Development Policy Financing for the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Borrower or Recipient), which was approved by the Executive Directors on June 13, 2024.

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“The DPF is a standalone operation comprised of two tranches: (1) first tranche comprising US$750 million credit from the International Development Association (Association) (Shorter Maturity Loan terms with 12-year maturity and grace period of 6 years, Credit No. 7567-NG); and (2) second tranche comprising US$750million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (Bank) (US dollar-denominated, commitment-linked loan with 24-year maturity and grace period of 11 years, Loan No.9683-NG). The Financing Agreement and Loan Agreement were signed and declared effective on June 19, 2024 and June 26, 2024, respectively. The first tranche was released on July 2, 2024.” 

Key reform conditions 

A major trigger for the second tranche was the removal of fuel subsidies. The reforms allowed petrol prices to reflect international market rates and exchange rates, effectively ending implicit subsidies that strained public finances.

The deregulation, which began in mid-2023, saw petrol prices increase more than fivefold, drawing praise for fiscal discipline but sparking criticism over the rising cost of living.

The World Bank commended the government for not only meeting the condition but exceeding expectations by fully deregulating the fuel market.

The document noted: “In terms of implementation, while the TRC [Tranche Release Conditions] formulation required introducing the change over a specified time-bound implementation period, the Borrower has moved ahead and made the change immediately, thereby overachieving the TRC in this respect.

“Effective October 2024, the price of PMS has been determined by the international market and the exchange rate set by the Central Bank of Nigeria.” 

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Additional reforms included the introduction of the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, proposing a gradual increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) to 10% by 2025 and streamlining tax compliance processes.

The document read: “The Borrower has successfully carried out the program as outlined in the Letter of Development Policy, with progress along all areas supported by the DPF. Following the implementation of the reforms that constituted prior actions for the first tranche of the RESET DPF (disbursed on June 28, 2024), the Borrower continues to carry out the program as planned. 

“The Borrower has prepared and submitted to the National Assembly on October 3, 2024, a comprehensive package of tax reforms, which not only reform the VAT regime but also simplify tax policy laws and tax administration. 

“Reforms have also been implemented to fully deregulate the fuel market, ensuring that retail prices are determined by market conditions and opening the sector to competition. The authorities are following through on their commitment to cease deficit monetization, relying instead on standard debt instruments to finance the deficit.” 

The government also submitted amendments mandating the use of the National Social Registry for social investment programmes.

Socioeconomic impact and relief measures 

Despite commendations from the World Bank for exceeding reform targets, the impact of these changes has sparked public dissent. Fuel subsidy removal has led to surging transportation and living costs, triggering protests in major cities like Lagos, Kano, and Abuja.

To cushion the effects, the Federal Government introduced N25,000 monthly cash transfers for 15 million vulnerable households.

However, only about four million households have benefited so far, falling significantly short of the target. Efforts are also underway to promote compressed natural gas (CNG) as a cheaper fuel alternative, with plans to convert over one million vehicles in three years.

Nigeria gets World Bank $1.5bn loan

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