Falana Dismisses Police Claim Of Investigating His Client

FEMI Falana, the lawyer to a former chairman of Skye Bank Plc, Mr Tunde Ayeni, has dismissed reports that the police have investigated his client’s petition and absolved Capt. Hosa Wells-Okunbo of wrongdoing.

Apart from inviting Ayeni to adopt his petition, Falana stated that the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit had not taken any other step in the matter.

Ayeni had claimed in his petition that he sold his shares in Ocean Marine Solution Ltd. under duress while also accusing Wells-Okunbo of stealing and criminally diverting company funds.

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But a police investigation report dated March 16, 2021, signed by the Head, IGP Monitoring Unit, Force headquarters, ACP A. Ellemen, said Ayeni sold his shares in Ocean Marine Solutions Ltd. to Wells-Okunbo for N2bn.

The force said the investigation report had been forwarded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice for authentication and further action.

But reacting to the police report in a statement on Monday, Falana said the petition had not been challenged in any material particular as Wells-Okunbo had not been invited to react to the allegations.

He stated, “Contrary to media reports, the Monitoring Unit of the Inspector-General of Police has not commenced investigation into the allegations contained in the petition of Tunde Ayeni against his business partner, Capt. Okunbo.

“Apart from inviting Tunde Ayeni to adopt his petition, the Monitoring Unit of the Inspector-General of Police has not taken any other step in the matter. Specifically, Capt. Okunbo has not been invited to react to the said petition. To that extent, the petition has not been challenged in any material particular.”

The lawyer explained that both parties had since agreed to explore an amicable resolution of their business dispute.

“Consequently, the lawyers of the parties have held fruitful discussions in respect of the claims and counter-claims of their clients. The IGP Monitoring Unit has been fully briefed of the progress made so far in the matter.

“However, in a desperate move to frustrate the amicable resolution of the dispute, the IGP Monitoring Unit is alleged to have produced a ‘report’ of an investigation that has not been conducted.

“As if that was not enough, the ‘report’ was addressed to Capt Hosa Okunbo’s lawyer and circulated to media houses. But up till now, the IGP Monitoring Unit has not deemed it fit to furnish us with a copy of the report,” the senior advocate said in a statement titled, ‘Tunde Ayeni’s petition has not been investigated by the police.’

Falana requested the IG to assign the petition to another team of police officers to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations contained in the petition before writing “a report that can stand the test of time.”