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–Pix (above): Dr Jim Ovia, Chairman, Zenith Bank Plc
The protracted feud between Prince Arthur Eze and his nephews, Princes Olisa and Onyeka Eze, has evidently taken a great toll on the once booming business of the proclaimed richest Igbo man from Southeastern Nigeria.
An inside source revealed recently that Arthur Eze’s current business and financial situation needs God’s special intervention as he’s allegedly seeking an unprotected loan for Shareholders Fund from a branch of Zenith Bank in Maitama, Abuja through one Adaora Umeoji.
Prince Arthur Eze
Regarded as a great embarrassment to friends and acquaintances of erstwhile oil magnate and what might turn out to be greatest professional risk on Adaora who is allegedly making herself a willing tool in this loan narrative, the source held that “giving out shareholders fund that is not backed up with security by Arthur Eze, a man allegedly notorious with history of not paying back loans, will rupture Zenith Bank at the end of the day”.
Alerting Zenith Bank Authorities to take proactive steps to forestall giving Arthur Eze any loan that is not backed by collateral, the inside source also revealed that he has approached commercial banks for loans over the years, but they refused to grant him due to his alleged bad record of not fulfilling his financial obligations. “No bank in Nigeria will agree to grant Arthur Eze loan that is not backed by collateral,” the source reaffirmed, warning Zenith Bank.
From grapevine, Prince Arthur Eze is currently fighting for his dear life as his entire businesses have seemingly collapsed because of his feud with Princes Olisaebuka Eze and Onyeka Eze, sons of Alfred Eze, his late younger brother, who were a major force in his once booming oil business across West and Central Africa.
As also revealed, all Arthur Eze’s private jets are allegedly grounded currently as he has not been able to maintain them. It is also being alleged that, apart from making frantic efforts to put them up for auction sale, he’s currently looking for buyers on some of his choice lands and properties in Eastern Nigeria and Abuja.
It is also revealed that since he narrowly escaped death at the height of Covid-19 pandemic last year from an undisclosed ailment, he has been practically sustained by the goodwill of top Igbo leaders and politicians who are his close associates, including some of the five Eastern governors.
As already published in the media severally, Prince Arthur Eze’s current economic tragedies allegedly began a few years back and worsened and heightened last year by global effects of Covid-19 on his businesses in sub-Sahara West Africa. His current predicament is also alleged to be direct result of some of his bad life and business decisions.
As alleged, one of the bad decisions which have hugely affected him is his frontal battle with the sons of his late younger brother, Prince Olisaebuka Okwuchukwu Eze and his brother; Prince Onyeka Nnadozie Eze, who had been the engine-room of his business empire for decades and whose lives he has continued to make a hell since November last year, using EFCC and some conniving officers in Abuja and Enugu State.
Princes Olisaebuka Eze and Onyeka Eze, were arrested by the officials of the EFCC on Wednesday, November, 11, 2020, as a result of a personal letter he wrote to then Acting chairman of the anti-graft body on November 6, 2020 alleging breach of trust by them against him and his company finances. Based on this, they were in the EFCC custody for more than two months on trumped up charges of embezzlement which were never proven in any court of law in Nigeria till date.
As it will be recalled, an Abuja High Court presided over by Hon. Justice S. B. Belgore awarded Ten Million naira (N10, 000,000) against EFCC and Prince Arthur Eze “jointly and severally for flagrant and oppressive contravention of Prince Olisa Eze’s fundamental human rights.”
Delivering his judgment on June 23, 2021, Justice Belgore based his verdict on “An Originating Motion number M/1289/2020, dated 9/12/20,” which was filed on the same day by Prince Olisa Okwuchukwu Eze and Mrs. Amarachi Chinonso Eze (applicants), suing Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Prince (Engr) Arthur Eze for violation of their fundamental human rights.
Also in his judgment, Justice Belgore ordered EFCC to unfreeze the bank accounts of Prince Olisa Eze with Ecobank, Fidelity Bank Ltd and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc. In the same way, the court grants “an order of injunction restraining both EFCC and Prince Arthur Eze from deploying the anti-graft agency to infringe, howsoever, on the fundamental human rights Olisa Eze to “fair hearing, freedom of movement, right to privacy/family, right to personal liberty and freedom from compulsory acquisition of property on the account of Prince Arthur Eze’s fabled suspicion of misappropriation of funds.”
Similarly, Justice Belgore gave an order “compelling both EFCC and Prince Arthur Eze to immediately release to Olisa Eze his International Passport and personal chantel, including phones, laptops and jewelries.”
Lastly, the court awarded the “Sum of N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) against EFCC and Prince Arthur Eze jointly and severally being exemplary damages for flagrant and oppressive contravention of fundamental human rights of Mrs. Amarachi Chinonso Eze, Prince Olisa Eze’s wife.
Meanwhile all the orders of Courts of competent jurisdiction in the case between Prince Arthur Eze and his nephews were never respected by the oil mogul whose business has been in limbo since he began the obvious persecution of the sons of his late younger brother.
Not done with his nephews who were legally freed from EFCC detention earlier in the year by a Federal High Court, the embittered Prince Arthur Eze allegedly rechanneled his efforts at making life uncomfortable to them to Enugu with the connivance of some elements in the State’s Command of the Nigeria Police. This is epitomized by a petition to Inspector General of Police by Mrs. Amarachi Eze, wife of Prince Olisa Eze, seeking for police protection for her family and that of Prince Onyeka Eze.
In the petition signed by Mrs. Eze, she alleged connivance between Prince Arthur Eze and some police officers in Enugu for “impunity, brute use of power, abuse of office, criminal intimidation and conspiracy; acts capable of breaching/rupturing of public peace and unlawful cum criminal trespass on their private properties by the police officers”.
Till date, Arthur Eze has continued his intimidation and harassment of his nephews, vowing and boasting that his nephews will be in jail this Christmas. The latest of Arthur Eze’s unrepentant assault was on 17th of November, when, after another court session at Federal High Court, Abuja, some police officers, allegedly, at the instigation of the beleaguered oil mogul, came to arrest Prince Onyeka Nnadozie Eze. The policemen came under the guise that Onyeka attempted to kidnap one of Arthur Eze’s staff members, Yahaya Mohammed.
Prince Onyeka was released on 19th of November from police cell after he had met the bail conditions and was told to report back on 23rd and when he came as instructed by the police, he was re-arrested.
Similarly and also allegedly with the connivance of Prince Arthur Eze, when the unsubstantiated matter of impropriety against his nephews, which is still on-going at Federal High Court and Appeal Court in Enugu, came up before Justice Osho Adebiyi, at Gudu High Court, some men in plain clothes, came to arrest Olisa Eze, elder brother of Onyeka.
In this particular case, Justice Osho Adebiyi of Gudu High Court, Abuja, revoked the bail she did not grant as the Judge that granted that bail is now serving at the Court of Appeal. Meanwhile, the younger Ezes, through one of their counsels, have countered Justice Osho Adebiyi’s hasty judicial process.
In a “MOTION ON NOTICE PURSUANT TO SECTION 35(4), 36(5) OF 1999 CONSTITUTION: AND UNDER THE INHERENT JURISDICTION OF COURT,” filed by Charles Jibuaku, Esq. on December 15 and served the EFCC chairman the same day, he prayed that the younger Ezes may be heard by the Honourable Court for the following:
- “AN ORDER of the Honourable Court suspending and setting aside the issuance and/or execution of Bench Warrant of Arrest or any authorization howsoever for arrest of the Defendants sequel (the younger Ezes) to the Hon. Court’s Order for revocation of their bail entered on 13th December, 2021 in Charge NO. FCT/CR/1106/2020; and generally Staying Further THE HONOURABLE CHIEF JUDGE OF THE FCT HIGHT COURT (on the Defendants’ subsisting application for transfer of the Case file from the Honourable Judge/Court) and the determination of the instant Motion and, for such further Orders as the Honorable Court may deem expedient.
- Finally, the Counsel to both Princes Olisaebuka Eze and Onyeka Eze expatiated that his GROUNDS OF APPLICATION are the following:
- The defendants lost confidence in the ability of the Honourable Court to dispense justice in this matter necessitating an application for administrative transfer to the Honourable Chief Judge.
- The Honourable Court has shown tremendous haste to proceed with the trial despite inconvenience to Defence Counsel and the pending Motion for the Bail (to continue) of the Defendants having earlier been granted bail by the same FCT High Court coram Binta Mohammed J. and same duly perfected since December 2020.
- That despite the said earlier Bail and similar Bail of another FCT High Court, (coram Belgore, J.), the December were still detained for several weeks in brazen disobedience of the said Orders for Bail, over mere allegation of simple offences.
- As already stated, the charge in this matter is founded on allegation of SIMPLE OFFENCE under s. 319 (A) Penal Code but involving a Billionaire nominal Complainant who is clearly determined to persecute and punish the Defendants ahead of any trial.
- That since filing of the first charge in 2020, the Prosecution never served aAny Proof of Evidence on the Defence, until late November. 2021, and every effort by the Defendants’ counsel for an adjournment to a January date to afford the Defence ample time to prepare for their defence was declined by the Hon Court, even in spite of the new amended charges served on the Defendants on 1st December, 2021.
- The absence of the tow Defendants at the hearing today (25-12-2021 was informed by the pending application to the Hon Chief Judge for transfer and several attempts made at the behest of the nominal Complainant to haunt down the defendants and jail them during the Christmas holiday, using the instrumentality of willing security agencies, including within the precincts of the Honourable Court which facts were brought to the attention of the Court but ignored, hence the Defendants have been living in fear for their lives.
- So far, the Honourable Court ignored the said entreaties of the Defendants’ Counsel and hurriedly revoked their bail notwithstanding that this is the first time both Defendants were absent from court, especially the 1st Defendant Onyeka Eze, who was reportedly hospitalized (supported by verifiable hospital report) on the last adjourned date for a diabetic condition.)
- The same Court that had been totally unyielding to adjourn the matter to sometime in January 2022, had, on 1/12/2021, however upon revoking the Defendants’ Bail and ordering Bench Warrant (to take the Defendants into custody), readily adjourned the matter to 19/1/2022 (over 37days thence) for arraignment which smacks of utter defiance/disregard to the Honourable Chief Judge’s Prerogative in the matter.
As finally remarked by the source; “As things have turned out for the Ukpo Prince, unless there is divine intervention; he seems to be on a long journey to the dark alley.”/SHARE THIS