An equity partner of Farm Funds Africa, an investment scheme that has failed to pay Returns on Investment (RoI) since December 2020, threatened an FIJ reporter and attempted to bribe him.
In a conference call on Saturday, an equity partner of the company, who refused to disclose his identity, threatened the reporter with arrests and sanctions from the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).
Earlier, FIJ had reported how the company amassed a debt of over N100 million and kept promising investors that equity partners were coming to revive the business in January.
In February, investors received another email saying the partners had not arrived and might come in a few weeks’ time.
When our FIJ reporter asked Dorcas Omamuli, the company’s founder, why the company kept making promises, and if it was a smokescreen, she told this reporter that “All these analyses are not my headache”.
Moments after, she started the conference call with a strange partner, who told this reporter, “By the time I get to Lagos, I will ask you to invite me to your office so you will know who you are dealing with. Do you know how much money I have?”
He threatened to report FIJ reporter to Chris Isiguzo, the NUJ President, to have him suspended and accused him of terrorism.
“I just called you to the place you belong. Do you know what I will do? I am going to specially report you to Chris [Isiguzo]. I will get your number now; they should suspend you. You are becoming a source of terrorism,” the partner said.
Maintaining the hostility, he asked the reporter, “Do you know you can be picked up?”
However, moments before ending the call, he offered the reporter a bribe if he would be “constructive” with his reports.
He said, “If it is money you want when the time comes, be constructive. You will still work for this company you are fighting now. You will make enough money you have ever seen in your life”.
Back in December, when FIJ spoke with Omamuli, she said she was aware her company had breached contractual agreements with its investors, but she was hoping new partners would come in to help cushion the effect.
She, however, said regardless of when new partners joined the business, investors could not get their money back until months after the business got back on its feet.
