Abandon office, sack all workers

By Emma Nnadozie, Crime Editor

Chinese managers of a digital money lending company accused of fleecing their Nigerian workers and smearing them in social media have engaged some yet-to-be identified men in military uniforms to arrest staff suspected to have leaked information about their activities. 

One of the male staff was reportedly arrested in the high brow area of Ikeja, Adeniyi Jones, last week, and allegedly whisked away to Air Force base, Ikeja where he was stripped, harassed, intimidated and thrown into the cell for hours. 

He was only able to regain his freedom a few hours later after he threatened to expose his traducers on social media. 

The 28-year-old victim from Abia State reconted his ordeal in the hands of the military men: ‘’They swooped on me while I was taking lunch very close to my house on Adeniyi Jones where I live with my brother. They accosted me and requested that I identify myself which I did. 

“They now said I must follow them to Air Force Base, Ikeja. Luckily, they agreed that one of my friends should accompany us. When we got there, they started torturing me. At a stage, they made frantic calls, telling the person at the other end that I am now with them in the barracks. 

‘’They questioned me about happenings in the Chinese company and wanted to know why I leaked their operational secret. I vehemently told them it is very unfair for the Chinese to be engaged in illegal business in our country and that we were simply fighting for our rights as Nigerians. 

“At this point, the military men felt for me and were even saying what the Chinese were doing was very bad, Nevertheless, they made another call and were saying they have done the job and should be paid. 

‘’They added that if they (Chinese) wanted another thing, they should pay them. After this, they stripped me and pushed me into a dingy cell where I spent almost five hours. Later, one of them came and made me sign an undertaking that I must not tell journalists to publish anything about the Chinese company else they will come for me again. I was able to identify the name tag of one of the military men, with the name Idris A. That was how they released me.” 

The victim further revealed that some other staff of the company laid off by the Chinese were also hounded and maltreated. 

He said most of them are on the run because of continued threats by the Chinese who have been boasting that they must deal with all those that exposed their activities to the press.