The Viagem Energy Services Ltd has faulted the media publication titled: “Businessman Threatens N10B Lawsuit Over Wanted Notice by Police; Need to Protect and Encourage Our Law Enforcement Institutions and Personnel, Regulate and Strengthen Media Utilization in the Fight Against Crime.”
In a statement by
Fortunatus Osuagwu,
Business Intelligence & financial Adviser (Viagem Energy Services Ltd) which was made available to newsmen on Monday, the organisation stated, “We expect the media to investigate, interrogate, and report as accurately in accordance with its solemn responsibility, rather than taking falsehood from one side and reporting to the public.
Osuagwu noted that the publication was aimed at swaying public opinion in favour of the suspects — Babafemi Fagite, Raymond Akintayo, and Charles Obisike.
Parts of the statement read:
“The cardinal point of one of the most cherished philosophies in policing developed by Sir Robert Peel to define an ethical police force in his Peelian principle and often most quoted is that:
“The police are the public and the public are the police.”
“The media has always played a pivotal role in shaping public opinion and perceptions towards law enforcement. Balancing legitimate demands for access to public information with the equally legitimate but sometimes conflicting need to maintain law and order in a society is a challenge for any democratic society.
“We have become aware of a publication in The Guardian (https://guardian.ng/news/nigeria/metro/businessmen-threaten-n10b-lawsuit-over-wanted-notice-by-police), and we feel obligated, as the complainants on the matter that led to the media publication, to bring the facts to the fore.
“It is also noteworthy that the counsel, J.S Agada Esq., who issued the purported pre-action notice copied to the Police Service Commission, is a suspect in the investigation alongside one Ambassador Michael Friday. Both have given statements to the IGP Monitoring Unit under caution.
“The so-called “commercial dispute” is an active case under investigation by the IGP Monitoring Team, triggered by a petition written and approved on the 9th day of January, 2025, when an elaborately planned and heavily financed kidnapping and attempted assassination operation by these so-called businessmen and their co-conspirators took place.
“The complainants are the owners of three brand new 1MW Gas Plants, leased to Cabota Energy Services Limited, the company of the suspects. The suspects criminally conspired, forged ownership documents of the Gas Plants, and fraudulently sold them.
“When the complainants began searching for their Gas Plants, a well-orchestrated plan was hatched to eliminate one of them. To execute this plan, the suspects arranged and kidnapped him in Lagos, blindfolded and handcuffed him, and checked him into an Airpeace flight to Abuja where they had concluded plans to assassinate him. By sheer providence and the alertness of security operatives at Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, the operation was foiled.
“These so-called businessmen have been on the run and underground since then, despite repeated invitations by the IGP Monitoring Unit to aid police investigations. Instead, they ran to the Federal High Court, Abuja, hoping to shield themselves and stop police investigations by filing Fundamental Human Rights cases against the Nigeria Police Force, Inspector General of Police, IGP Monitoring Unit with its principal officers, the Police Service Commission, and the complainants, in four different suits:
FHC/ABJ/CS/439/2025
FHC/ABJ/CS/440/2025
FHC/ABJ/441/2025
FHC/ABJ/CS/368/2025
“The Court has refused to grant their prayers in these frivolous applications. The 1999 Constitution (as amended) is very clear on the need not to interfere with the statutory investigative powers of the Police.
“The team of exceptionally dedicated, diligent, patriotic, and uncompromising officers at the IGP Monitoring Unit, led by CSP Laraba, DSP Kuyembo, ASP Jimmy Danny (IPO), and ASP Gado, have painstakingly followed due process. They have expended several resources at the Nigerian Police’s disposal, tracking the activities and whereabouts of these suspects and their co-conspirators.
“On the 29th day of July, 2025, the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1426/2025 between IGP and Obisike Charles Uche, Akintayo Raymond, and Fagite Babafemi, granted the reliefs of the Nigerian Police Force, declaring these suspects wanted persons.
“The official Police Gazette declaring the suspects wanted has been published. Yet, these suspects have continued to be in hiding since the 31st day of January, 2025 till date. Rather than submit themselves to the Police for investigation, they have chosen through their counsel (who is also a suspect) to question the legal process and cast aspersions on the character of dedicated officers they could not compromise.
“A situation where suspected criminals under investigation are hiding under the pretext of freedom of speech, using the media to throw out deliberate falsehood aimed at manipulating public opinion against men and women of the Nigerian Police Force — who are putting their lives in danger for the greater good of society — needs to be checkmated.
“We advocate that policy frameworks be developed to ensure the media properly vet stories for public consumption, especially about the activities of law enforcement agencies.
“Contrary to the claim of the suspects, this is not a contractual dispute but a criminal investigation. The suspects did not just steal the Gas Plants; they went ahead to sell them outrightly. Ostensibly to cover their tracks, they kidnapped and attempted to assassinate one of the complainants. These facts cannot amount to a mere “contractual dispute.”
“Currently, the stolen Gas Power Plants have been discovered and are being recovered by the IGP Monitoring Unit in Enugu and Ibadan, after almost ten months of tracking these suspects and their activities. These officers and their entire unit deserve commendation from the public.
“It is curious that the very same suspects who are now petitioning the Police and Police Service Commission have refused to present themselves to these same institutions. If their hands are clean, they should come forward and present themselves to the authorities. If they had done this, the Police would not have been constrained to obtain a Court Order to declare them wanted.”
In a related development, Police Officers from the IGP monitoring Unit have discovered the stolen Gas plants at the Water Facility of Enugu State Government, being operated by Fedikore Limited
The Gas plants were allegedly stolen in 2023, and all efforts to recover them proved abortive, until Police Officers from IGP Monitoring Unit, acting on intelligence stormed the Water Facility of Enugu State Government at 9th Mile, where the Gas Plants were discovered, and certain persons taken into custody including Dr Chukwueloka Umeh, the Chairman/CEO of Fedikore Limited
