Businessman arraigned for sending assassins to kill partner

By Bisola Adeniran 

A 44-year old businesman has been arrested and charged before Igbosere Magistrate’s Court for allegedly attempting to kidnap and assassinate his business partner in order to take over their joint business.
Daniel C Nwafor was arrested after the police investigated the allegation made by his business partner, Emmanuel Okonkwo, that Nwafor allegedly offered an engineer that built his house in Lagos State N7 million for the layout of his house in an attempt to assassinate him over the proceeds of a warehouse they jointly own. According to Okonkwo, who had lived abroad for many years and decided to come back to Nigeria to set up a business, his travails started after he entered into partnership agreement with Nwafor to jointly lease the warehouse called Conference Warehouse at 93/94, Apapa Expressway Oshodi, Lagos.
He said the partnership agreement stated that the proceeds from the warehouse should be shared between them. But the problem began between the business partners over the management of the warehouse and when Okonkwo began to feel that his life was in danger because of the property, he wrote a petition to the police. He alleged that shortly after they started making profit, Nwafor began to claim ownership of the warehouse and hired thugs to chase him from the property, burgled his office and even damaged his personal property.
Okonkwo also alleged that he escaped assassination at the warehouse from the thugs hired by Nwafor, after he threatened to kill him, claiming that the warehouse belongs to him. Later he reported the matter to the police when he recorded conversations between Nwafor and the engineer who built his house, claiming that Nwafor offered to give the engineer N7 million for the layout of his house in order to assassinate him. However, Nwafor denied the allegations.

He admitted that he had business disagreement with Okonkwo and only contacted the engineer for his home address to enable him write a petition to the police. Nwafor, who was arrested by the police at Federal Investigation Bereau, FIB, Force headquarters, is now facing an eight-count charge of felony, attempted kidnapping and murder, stealing by conversion of all the proceeds of a warehouse and jumping bail. The police alleged that the offence Nwafor committed was contrary to sections 409, 403, 285 and 338 of the Criminal Code Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.
He pleaded not guilty and the presiding magistrate, Mrs O Martins, initially denied him bail and remanded him in police custody. But when the matter came up in court on Wednesday he was granted bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum. The matter was adjourned till 4 March 2013, while the defendant was still remanded in prison custody until he perfects his bail conditions.
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