-Management Says It Is Not Owned By BURUJI KASHAMU
The management of Best Western Plus Hotel on Allen Avenue, Lagos has come out to refute claims published by 2 daily newspapers, that AMCON has taken over the said hotel.
This is in reaction to Thisday Newspaper publication on pages 43 and 53 of Tuesday, September 19, 2017, and Wednesday, September 20th, 2017 respectively, titled “AMCON TAKES OVER KASHAMU’S BEST WESTERN HOTELS” AND AMCON: WE DIDN’T TAKE OVER KASHAMU HOTELS”,
Punch Newspaper also published a story on page 30 of Tuesday, September 19th, 2017 titled “AMCON, FIRM DIFFER ON PLANNED ASSET SEIZURE”
The GMD, Edward Akinlade says Suru Worldwide Ventures Nigeria Limited wish to inform the Public and our partners on the true facts with respect to the unconfirmed stories published by two newspapers are totally false and untrue
BestWesternPlus Lagos Ikeja Hotel is owned by Akinlade Edward and not Senator Kashamu. Also, we never owned any hotel in Ikoyi.
It is also untrue that AMCON took over an alleged debt of N27billion debts as such amount does not exist and it is only quoted to mislead members of the public. Worthy of mention is that our company is not a party to the suit on which AMCON got their so-called court order for takeover justice Idris. We have petitioned the Inspector General or police and Commissioner of Police Lagos State.
AMCON stormed Best WesternPlus Lagos Ikeja Hotel, on the 30th of August, 2017 with a court order dated the 30th day of May, 2017, and yet again on the 18th September 2017 with over 500 Mopol policemen. This date was contrary to the date stated in paragraph 4 of the story published by Mr. Obinna Chima that the said order was dated 4th August 2017.
Edward Akinlade, GMD BestWesternPlus Lagos Ikeja Hotel
AMCON through their lawyer Joseph Nwobike, SAN, went to Justice Idris by Originating motion having the following parties as defendants in the case (1. Inspector General of Police, 2. Commander of Lagos state, 3. Civil defense Corps) excluding our company from the said suit no FHC/L/CS/1056/16 wherein they sought a court order directing the defendants above to assist in taking over the assets of the company to wit; 1 .12 Allen Avenue, Ikeja, 2. No. 12 Rev Ogunbiyi and 3.Opebi road, Ikeja.
The above step taken by AMCON through their Lawyer, Joseph Nwobike, SAN, is a clear abuse of court process. AMCON deliberately omitted to put our company on notice and the matter was going on concurrently with the same matter before another judge of the same court.
The management refused AMCON from forcefully taken over the hotel as the ground upon which they got their order is fraudulent and we cannot fold our hands and allow the government trample on our rights through abusive means hence the reason for the said resistance.
We, therefore, wish to inform the members of the public that Best WesternPlus Lagos Ikeja Hotel was not and will not be taken over by AMCON based on the existing court order they are parading as the means and procedure through which they got the order is an abuse of court process.
In December 2010, Oceanic bank (now Ecobank) sold our loan book (performing loan) to AMCON for N8billion as non-performing loan and subject to the above, we sued the bank for mismanagement of account at the Federal High Court in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/450/2011 which was before Justice Okeke and later transferred to Justice Suleiman Hassan where the matter is still on-going.
While the above suit in Federal High Court suit was on-going, AMCON sued our company in a suit n FHC/L/CS/218/14 before Justice Idris via originating motion and after parties have exchanged affidavit evidence, AMCON prayed to the court to withdraw the matter and because affidavit evidence had already been exchanged between parties, the court dismissed the matter with N50,000,00 cost against AMCON which remained unpaid till date. This is a clear flouting of court order by a government agency and this is also contrary to the assertions of Mr. Jude Nwauzor-Head, Corporate Communications, AMCONas stated on page 30 of PUNCH NEWSPAPER OF SEPTEMBER 19TH, 2017 story titled “AMCON, FIRM DIFFER ON PLANNED ASSET SEIZURE” where he stated that “ we normally take our time because we are also careful not to go against a court order, we must obey the court order”.
The above order of dismissal made by Justice Idris on the 22 day of June 2015 in favour of Suru Worldwide Ventures Nigeria Limited against AMCON was not appealed against , Instead, AMCON applied to be joined as parties in the suit we have against Oceanic/(now Ecobank) in suit no FHC/L/CS/450/2012 which same application was granted. AMCON upon becoming a party to the above suit Brought an application in June, 2017 seeking the same relief that was dismissed by Justice Idris in 2015 and we filed an application with respect to theirs, which both applications was heard in July 2017 and reserved for ruling next month October 3rd, 2017.
The previous MD of AMCON agreed that we can sue oceanic/ Eco bank limited for the frauds perpetrated against our company. And we initially paid over N1.6b to AMCON, subsequently paid N50m per month for several months until AMCON brought an unrealistic offer which made settlement impossible and parties resorted to court for justice.
AMCON must wait on cprocesses,ses , go on Appeal and not turn the law upside down to achieve illegality. We are not a party to there court order and it will not bind us until Justice hear the truth . Nigeria is a law abiding Nation and must remain so .
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