A businessman, Raqeeb Quadri Adeshile has written a petition to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, demanding the withdrawal of multiple ‘malicious’ criminal charges filed against him by the Police, at the instance of a business partner, who is an official of Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).
The Petition, titled “Request For An Urgent Intervention In Respect of a Petition Against Musa Akinleye and Orbzenergy Limited And Criminal Suit Instituted Against Mr. Raqeeb Quadri Adeshile” was written by his lawyer, Jedidiah F Akpata.
In the petition dated December 13, 2023, Adeshile called for a comprehensive investigation of all the issues that gave rise to the multiple charges against him.
He specifically drew the attention of the IGP to the two charges filed against him before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the Lagos State High Court, respectively.
According to the petitioner, charge No: FCT/CR/260/202 and Charge No: LD/21904C/2023 filed against him before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja and Lagos State High Court bordered on the same allegations.
The Petitioner, who is a maritime professional with many years of experience in the business and operations of the maritime industry, stated that he had been operating a business outfit, howbeit unregistered.
He said sometimes in 2018, he approached his friend one Musa Akinleye (a public officer and staff of Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation NDIC, which was not brought to his attention at the material time) with the offer to use his company name to secure business contracts in respect of the maritime business, especially container terminal contracts.
As a result of the foregoing, he was made a forty-five percent (45%) shareholder and Director of the company—Orbzenergy Limited.
In furtherance of the business venture, the Petitioner said he was in charge of the day-today running of the business in its operational site in Lagos, while Akinleye, was the Managing Director, despite being a public servant, was and remains the sole signatory to the accounts operated and maintained by the company.
The Petitioner stated that as a result of alleged poor financial management and other ancillary issues which he was not comfortable, Akinleye as well as the other shareholders, through an unlawful means, purportedly removed him as a Director of the company.
He said he was oblivious to the said unlawful removal as Director of the company, until a petition was written against him to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Headquarters in Abuja.
The letter reads “In the said petition, our client who is not a signatory to the company accounts was accused of financial misappropriation. Shortly before our client could respond he was arrested at Ibadan and brought to Abuja to answer to a Charge filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting at Abuja, where he is currently standing trial.
“The current matter which has been instituted against our client at the High Court of Lagos State, apart from being one instituted in bad faith by unscrupulous persons who intend to use the Nigeria Police Force to foster their own selfish cause and foist injustice on our client, equally amounts to lack of fair hearing, abuse of Court process and deprivation of constitutional safeguards.
“Suffice it is to note that our client is currently before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Suit No: FCT/CR/260/202 between the Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Quadri Raqeeb Adeshile. It is in respect of the current criminal action before a Court of competent jurisdiction, with trial ongoing against our client which he is already defending in proof of his innocence, that we write your good office to discontinue the current action filed in Charge No: LD/21904C/2023 between The Inspector General of Police v. Adeshile Quadri Raqeeb and Anor at the High Court of Lagos State.
“The current matter which has been instituted against our client at the High Court of Lagos State, apart from being one instituted in bad faith by unscrupulous persons who intend to use the Nigeria Police Force to foster their own selfish cause and foist injustice on our client, equally amounts to lack of fair hearing, abuse of Court process and deprivation of constitutional safeguards.
“We will like to bring to your attention the fact that there has been series of lawsuits filed, both civil and criminal, between the same parties and over the same issue which is the predicate of this instant suit filed by your good office against our client, which hitherto may not have been drawn to your attention, in order to help you Sir, to assuage our position clearly. We therefore urge you to take cognizance of the following Court cases pending against our Client:
“Our client was charged to Court by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in suit No: FCT/CR/260/2021 between Federal Republic of Nigeria v Quadri Raqeeb Adeshile. In this suit two of the Counts currently filed by your good office namely; Count 1 and Count 2 are already: before the FCT High Court for adjudication.
“As we bring our letter to a close, we wish to bring to your attention the fact that prequel to this letter, we previously wrote a petition against Mr. Musa Akinleye to the office of the Honourable Attorney General, the Chairman of Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, Chairman Code of Conduct Bureau and your good office were in copy of the letter. The letter sought to draw your attention to investigate the fraudulent activities of Mr. Musa Akinleye. Mr Musa Akinleye despite being a public officer, has at all material times been the alter ego of Orbzenergy, parading himself as the Managing Director of Orbzenergy Limited being, brazenly and in gross disrespect of the laws of the land, in contro] of the company’s financial operations. (Please find attached Invoices with Mr. Musa Akinleye’s name and signed as “Managing Director”)
“Moreover, we equally have written a petition against Mr. Musa Akinleye at the Force CID in Abuja which has so far been swept under the carpet. This is an attempt by unscrupulous people to sabotage the wheels of justice by using the Force as an instrument to advance their own interest. Our allegation on this point is founded on the fact that after the petition submitted against Mr. Musa Akinleye was received, nothing was done in respect of the file. In fact, the statement of account, which details how over Three hundred Million Naira (N300, 000, 000.00) only under the control of Musa Akinleye who is sole signatory, is not included in the case file.
“It was these discrepancy that led the former DIG to instruct that the two petitions (the one written by Mr. Musa Akinleye and our client) be harmonized and investigation conducted into same. Quite unfortunately, the team tasked with this duty did not harmonize the petition but went on to charge our client to court without acting on our client’s petition against Mr. Musa Akinleye, thereby misleading the legal department into filing this instant charges against our client. This further led to the file being retrieved from that Unit and handed over to the Commissioner of Police in charge of Police Special Squad Unit to reconcile these fundamental difference.
“With utmost humility that we are appealing to you Sir to use your Honourable and Good Office to intervene and ensure that justice is done in this matter, by investigating Mr. Musa Akinleye, as well as allowing our client to defend himself through a proper fair hearing investigation and not allow him to be a victim of malicious prosecution and double jeopardy. Our client is prepared to co-operate with your good office.”
