N5.6 million claim: Family demands explanation from Edo APC guber candidate Obaseki

AGENE GODWIN, Benin

The last may not have been heard about the allegation of fraudulent acquisition of shares leveled against the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, by the family members of late Chief Humphrey Idisi, who have narrated how Obaseki allegedly took what belongs to them.

At a media briefing in Benin, the family demanded explanation from Obaseki on how he became the sole beneficiary of the late Idisi’s 36 million shares held in a German company, KCA-Deutag, without any resolution transferring the shares to him.

According to the first son of the late Humphrey Idisi, Engineer Steady Idisi, the family had to reach out to the press to allow Nigerians know the injustice done them after every effort targeted at resolving the matter between the trio of the family, Mr Godwin Obaseki and KCA-Deutag failed to yield results.

Mr Steady Idisi, who was flanked by another member of the Idisi family, Loveth Idisi, at the media briefing, said since the demise of Mr Humphrey Idisi in November 2009, KCA-Deutag has refused to pay any form of dividend to the family’s estate on the premise that there was an agreement entered into by the family and KCA-Deutag waving the family’s rights to the entitlements of the shares.

He discredited claims by Obaseki that no case has been established against him pointing out that there is a petition against him with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Port Harcourt, adding that a German managing director of KCA-Deutag was invited by the EFCC before he was bailed.

He said, “we have made a legitimate claim. If you think our claims are not legitimate, come with your documents to prove to us that our claims are not correct. All we are asking Obaseki is how our 36 million shares ended up with him.

“The documents are there, form C07 and C02. Obaseki’s name is all over the place. How can he from nowhere emerge in the form C07, C02? They fraudulently came up with an agreement dated 15 July 2011 stating that we waived all rights to the entitlement of our dividends.

“Another document dated July, 2011 from the company, KCA Dautag, invited us to increase our shares to about 18 million. If you are saying we have waived our rights, why inviting us to up our shares.

“We had an agreement with the German company to pay us 3.5 per cent of their day rate. The minimum of their oil rigs they have drilled in this country is $20,000 to $25,00 per day. All they brought was another agreement stating that it was not 3.5 per cent but 2 per cent.

“Even if it is 2 per cent how much have you paid? What happened to the shares and the commission. This is what we are asking the German company. The total amount of money we are looking at with seven rigs working since 2009 is over N5.6 billion.”