D’banj Returns To Court May 7

Recall that both D’banj and the petitioner, Ojogho were absent during the first hearing, which came up at the Multi-door Courthouse, Obalende, Lagos on March 30, 2015.

The music star was represented by his lawyer, Dele Adeshina, who was in turn, represented by a junior lawyer from his chambers on the March date. Like the Kokomaster, Ojogho was represented by his lawyer, Benedict Onyeabo, as both teams filed their papers to kick off proceedings.

After deliberations, the presiding judge, Justice (Mrs.) Oyebanji adjourned the case till May 7, 2015.

The debt allegations against D’banj first surfaced in November 2014 as Henry Ojogho, Vice Chairman of Broron Group and MindHub Technologies, alleged that D’banj owes him and has refused to pay.

The debt, according to Henry, came about through a loan of over N60m granted D’banj’s company, DKM Media Limited in January 2013 but which the ‘Oliver Twist’ singer is yet to pay back despite signing an undertaking to do so.

Raising the stakes even higher, the petitioner alleged that the entertainer issued two cheques – one on December 20, 2013 and another on January 20, 2014, both of which had to be returned unpaid after presentation because the pop star’s accounts were not funded enough.

According to documents obtained by NET, a firm of attorneys, D.U.ODIGIE & CO, acting on behalf of Henry Ojogho, in a letter addressed to D’Banj, wrote:

‘Following the default by D KINGS MEDIA LIMITED to pay the debt to our client, and pursuant to the aforementioned personal Guarantee/Memorandum of Undertaking, you issued two post-dated cheques – one for the sum of $240,000 (Two hundred and forty thousand United States Dollars only) dated 20/12/2013, and the other for the sum of N15,000,000 (Fifteen million naira only) dated 20/1/2014.

Both cheques were returned unpaid on presentation by our client. ‘We are further informed that although, you thereafter paid the sum of N8,600,000 (Eight million, six hundred thousand naira only) out of the N15,000,000 (Fifteen million naira only) (in) cheque, leaving a balance sum of N6,400.000 (Six million, four hundred thousand naira Only), you have failed, neglected or refused to redeem the entire or any part of the $240,000 (Two Hundred and forty thousand United States Dollars) cheque.’

Further investigations by NET revealed that Henry Ojogho is not the only one claiming D’banj owes him in recent times. There are a number of others, according to our sources.

So bad is the situation that an industry source, who pleaded anonymity, chides the ‘Igwe’ singer thus: ‘Using the sympathy and naivety of unsuspecting investors coming into the game to dupe them is criminal and also destroying the image of the industry at large, because on the long run, it affects and corrupts the judgment of genuine investors, who may pull out for fear of being duped.’

Come May 7, 2015, the hearing will resume and it remains to be seen if D’Banj will be in court this time or be absent once again.