N18m Suit: Octogenarian Petitions NBA, Police

The N18 million case instituted against the General Secretary of Bible Society of Nigeria, Dr. Fredrick Odutola by an octogenarian, Pa Raufu Adetunji Dada, who spent about 40 years living in the United Kingdom, has taken a new dimension as the lawyer to the octogenarian Barrister Omobolaji Adejumo has petitioned the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and Nigerian Bar Association over the matter.

Pa Raufu Adetunji in the petition to the police complained about threat to his life while the other petition to the secretary of the legal practioners disciplinary committee is urging the disciplinary committee and the Nigerian Bar Association to investigate alleged professional misconduct against Dr. Frederick B. Odutola who is principal partner Fed Odutola and Company.

What led to the petition is already a subject of civil litigation pending before a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, awaiting re-assignment after the pre-trial conference conducted by Justice Ojikutu Oshodi.

According to a statement of claim filed before the court by Barrister Adejumo on behalf of Pa Raufu Adetunji, Dr. Fredrick Odutola was introduced to the former as the CEO/General Secretary of the Bible Society of Nigeria, a lawyer and a trustworthy man in January, 2005.

It was alleged that between December, 2005 and 15 July, 2007 the claimant gave N41,500 and other sums of money, while twenty two thousand pounds was transferred to him via First Bank of Nigeria. Thereafter, various sums of money were given to the defendant and in total Dr. Odutola was alleged to have collected N12,921,000 from Pa Adetunji who had planned to build a house with the money.

Construction began in July, 2006 and by 3 December, 2007, the house had been completed.

However the defendant was alleged to have dealt with the fund in contravention of the good faith which existed between him and the claimant by instigating the police to arrest the claimant on 19 January, 2010, on allegations of obtaining money under false pretence and threat to life.

In furtherance of the police harassment, the claimant’s car, a QS4 Infinity SUV with registration number Lagos CP 13 APP was not released to him until the eighth day.

Pa Dada is therefore seeking the order of the court that the defendant renders the true account in respect of the property, a four-bedroom bungalow, situated at Iroko Estate, Isheri, Lagos, as well as an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant and his agents from meddling in whatever form, with his account.

In a response field before the court by Barrister Godwin Ugwu, Dr. Fredrick Odutola denied almost all the averment of Pa Raufu Adetunji Dada, alleging that when the claimant arrived Nigeria sometime in June 2005, he confided in him about his accommodation problem, after which he had to stay in his organisation’s guest house from June, 2005 till December, 2007, when he finally completed his house.

Not only was he accommodated; as he was diabetic, he was also placed on special diet and provided with a car and a driver, among other comforts.

The defendant, therefore is counter-claiming N40 million as damages and other expenses, including his accommodation in the Bible Society of Nigeria Guest House amounting to N2,033,150 and cost of feeding N10,984,413 as well as the balance of the construction of the claimant’s house as accounted by the parties.

Responding to the statement of defence the claimant alleged that the defendant made a profit of N3 million in building his house.

In totality he is claiming N10 million as damages for false imprisonment and another N8 million for trespassing and for false accounting and secret profit made by the defendant as his agent.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the case as the parties wait for re-assignment after the pre-trial conference.

—Akin Kuponiyi