The Nigeria Police Force has declared three directors of Cabota Energy Services Limited wanted over allegations of conspiracy, terrorism, kidnapping, attempted assassination, and criminal conversion.
Those declared wanted include the company’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Akintayo Raymond Oluwaseyi; its Chairman, Obisike Uche Charles; and Executive Director, Fagite Babafemi Oladipo.
According to a police gazette on Tuesday, the three executives are wanted by the office of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit, Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The publication stated that the warrant was issued pursuant to an order of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Charge No. CR: 3000X/IGP-SEC/MU/ABJ/T.2/VOL. 121/119.
In a separate gazette, the directors were accused of conspiring to deceive a complainant and stealing three brand-new power-generating gas plants valued at over ₦3 billion, which were allegedly moved to undisclosed locations. The police further alleged that, in an attempt to silence the complainant, the directors orchestrated his kidnapping and attempted assassination.
However, the wanted executives have threatened to sue the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for ₦10 billion in damages if the gazette is not withdrawn.
In a statement issued through their lawyers, J.S. Agada & Co., the businessmen described the publication as “a flagrant contempt of court” and demanded a public correction and an unreserved apology.
In a pre-action notice addressed to the Inspector-General of Police and copied to the Police Service Commission (PSC), the directors dismissed the allegations as false and malicious, insisting the matter was purely commercial. They maintained that the dispute stemmed from a lease agreement between two companies, not a criminal offence.
They also noted that multiple suits arising from the transaction are pending before the Federal High Courts in Lagos and Abuja, as well as the High Court of Kogi State. According to them, these courts have issued preservative orders directing all parties to maintain the status quo pending the resolution of the substantive issues.
“It is deeply regrettable that, despite pending litigation and subsisting court orders, certain individuals with ulterior motives have misled sections of the Nigeria Police Force into publishing such an injurious declaration,” the statement read.
However, the complainant, Viagem Energy Services Ltd, has described its case as an ongoing criminal investigation being handled by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Team.
In a statement, Viagem Energy alleged that the suspects orchestrated the kidnapping of one of its representatives in Lagos and attempted to move him to Abuja as part of a plot to assassinate him, but the plan was foiled at Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport by security operatives.
It maintained that the matter is not a contractual dispute, as claimed by the suspects, but a criminal case involving theft, fraudulent sale of assets, kidnapping, and attempted assassination.