Bizman Drags LASEMA Boss To Court

A businessman in Lagos has dragged the Managing Director, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Femi Oke Osanyintolu to court for non-payment of a debt he allegedly owes. Mr. Akinola Adekola Omode, Managing Director of High flyers Cargo Limited dragged the LASEMA boss before a Lagos high court over a debt of N1 million.

In his statement of claim Adekola Omode averred that sometime in October 2008 Oke Osanyintolu approached him for a loan of N1,670,000 to enable him clear his wife’s luggage at the airport.

Adekola Omode claimed that he decided to give him the loan considering the good relationship that had existed between them, but not until he was assured that the money would be returned within three weeks

According to him, two weeks after the loan was granted, Oke Osanyintolu paid back N550,000 for which a receipt was issued to him. He however noted that at the expiration of the agreed period Oke Osanyintolu failed to pay back the outstanding amount. He added that after many efforts to make him pay back the LASEMA boss issued a Skye Bank cheque to cover the outstanding debt sum, but when it was presented for payment the cheque was dishonored because there was no cash in the account.

Adekola Omode averred that up till now the LASEMA boss has refused to pay back the outstanding sum despite several appeals and letters from his lawyers to pay back.

Consequently, he is asking the court to compel Oke Osanyintolu to pay him back his money with a 21 percent interest counting from when the debt was due.

In his statement of defence, Oke Osanyintolu admitted that he collected a loan from Adekola Omode but that the sum was N1,200,000 and not N1,670,000 as claimed in the suit.

He stated that he issued a post-dated cheque to cover the repayment of the loan, but before the maturity of the loan he made cash repayment of N550,000.

The LASEMA boss also claimed that he subsequently repaid the outstanding N570,000 but Adekola Omode did not issue him any receipt since it was a friendly transaction.