However, the pop star seems to be going through an unpleasant period
in his career as some people who claim to be owed by D’banj are
threatening a legal action against him.
According to NET investigations, the issuance of dud cheques and
non-payment of accrued debts top the list of infractions against the DB
Records boss who now calls himself Bangalee.
As things stand, D’banj may be dragged to court by a top oil and gas
industry player, Henry Ojogho, Vice Chairman of Broron Group. Ojogho,
who is also the Vice Chairman of MindHub Tehnologies, an integrated Rice
farming and milling production company, alleges that D’banj, through
his company, DKM Media Limited, obtained a loan of over N60m from him in
January 2013 and has not paid back the said sum despite signing an
undertaking to do so.
READ MORE AFTER THE CUT....................................
In addition, the man is claiming that the entertainer has issued two
cheques already; 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’ 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 $240,000,000 (Two Hundred and
Forty Thousand United States Dollars Only) dated 20/12/2013, and the
other for the sum of N15,000,000,00k (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, 600,00.00K (Eight Million, Six Hundred Thousand Naira Only) out of
the N15,000,000,00k (Fifteen Million Naira Only) (in) Cheque, leaving a
balance sum of N6,400.000.00k (Six Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira
Only), you have failed, neglected or refused to redeem the entire or any
part of the $240,000.00 (Two Hundred and Forty Thousand United State
Dollars) cheque.’
Further investigations by NET revealed that Henry Ojogho is not the
only wealthy man 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 absolutely destroying the
image of the industry at large, because in the long run it affects and
corrupts the judgment of genuine investors who would pull out for fear
of being duped.’
NET also contacted the law firm of the claimant and a lawyer at the
chambers but who doesn’t want his name disclosed spoke to us, saying:
‘It is true that we have such a case in court but the case is yet to
come up for hearing so I cannot comment on it yet.
‘Professionally, I cannot make any comments now because the defendant
has not been served the court papers because they said he’s out of the
country. But, any moment from now, he’ll receive the writ of summons. As
soon as he receives it, then it becomes a public case. ‘But for now
that he has not been served, the law does not allow me to make such
comments because as far as the law is concerned, the man is not aware
yet, but I can confirm to you that the matter is in court.’
Other people D’banj allegedly owes…
D’banj It is alleged that D’banj
approached a number of very wealthy people with business proposals,
urging them to invest in the industry and set up entertainment
companies.
With the promise of developing
artistes and huge returns on investments, the businessmen became
interested only for him to collect their money and move on to the next
target with the same ‘format’. Below is a list of a number of names he
allegedly owes according to sources.
WALTER WAGBATSOMA (200,000
Pounds) Mr Walter is a billionaire with investments in major areas,
ranging from oil and gas to real estate, banking, equities and even
insurance. He is the founder and executive Vice Chairman of Ontario Oil
and he’s one of the first men who were said to have handed money to
D’banj, with a whopping sum of 200,000 Pounds said to be involved.
PRINCE D. OKONKWO ($200,000) He’s
the chairman, Board of Directors of Tetrazini Group of Companies and he
is said to have given about $200,000 to D’banj in the name of investing
in entertainment. When the issue with Prince Okonkwo got out of hand,
D’banj was said to have sought help from Dapo Abiodun, boss of Heyden
Oil and Gas who helped him take care of the debt through a repayment
plan.
The Koko Concert Drama…
Still fresh in the memory of
Nigerians is the controversial 2012 edition of Koko Concert in which
people had to trek for miles before getting to the venue and back.
This is not forgetting the inhuman treatment meted out to those with regular tickets.
D'banj reportedly made close to
N87m from tickets sales alone at that event and reports allege he
collected a whooping $500,000 from GTBank and other title sponsors of
the show.
D’banj is reported as yet to
recover from the 2012 Koko Concert though, which is believed to have led
him not just into debts but made him part ways with several of his
closest allies.
Is D’banj broke?
D’banj’s last real album, a
ground-breaking body of works titled The Entertainer was released in
September 2008, before he released the DKM compilation in June
2013. It’s safe therefore to say D’banj hasn’t released an album in the
last 6 years, yet he has managed to stay very relevant in the industry,
which is largely due to his staying power and tenacity.
In 2014, he has been part of
several campaigns in agriculture, poverty alleviation, economy, and
recently became the first African Ambassador for BeatsByDre having
signed a deal with tech giants, Apple. He is also putting finishing
touches to plans to drop an album in celebration of his 10th year
anniversary in the music industry.
Having said that, it’s evident
that while he has not headlined any major show in the last 6 months,
D’banj has other multiple streams of income.
However, it is amazing that
despite D’banj’s remarkable success and many endorsement deals over the
years, he has no building or house of his own. The place he currently
calls home, a building on Osaro Isopkai Street in Lekki is a rented
apartment. As a matter of fact, investigations revealed his current rent
in the said apartment will expire this month.
D’banj returned to the country on
Wednesday, November 12, 2014 after spending about 3 months in the
United States of America. And now that he is back, a court case bearing
his name might come up for hearing soon, unless he is able to settle or
pacify those who are reportedly waiting to swoop on him.
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