ICT expert seeks justice over harassment, intimidation

An ICT professional Mr. Smart Joseph has cried out for justice over what he termed harassment and intimidation by his ex-employer.

Joseph, who was an ex ICT manager of Anabel Group of Companies, Nigeria, said he was employed by the company in 2013. He said he served the company meritoriously for 3 years, reporting directly to the MD/CEO, Nicolas Okoye before finally resigning.

“Early signs of trouble began when the company was owing the staffs over 5 months’ salary, when we complained, we were told point blank that if you resign between June 2015 and December 2015, you will forfeit the arrears of salary owed; in this regard, I had to stay back, not to forfeit my hard earned salary. This continued into 2016, and the company decided to be paying us when and what they like, not adhering to ethics of work place.”

The troubled ICT professional lamented “In December 2015, the MD/CEO put two of the company’s pool vehicles for sale as they were in bad shape. One of the vehicles were put up for sale at N300,000 while the other one was N350,000, and I went for the one of N350,000 which I paid in cash because the MD wanted his money in cash. I still have two witnesses to testify about the payment. He thereafter instructed one Mr. Godfrey Eze to handover the car key and all the original documents to me, but to my utter chagrin, Mr Eze held onto the documents, insisting that he used his personal money to fix the car that I bought to the tune of N100, 000 (One hundred thousand naira), which the MD had refused paying him, insisting I balance him the money before he will release the original documents, payment invoices to me. Mr Eze even called the mechanic Sola Farmoroti to testify on the spending. The car was paid for on the 7th of January 2016 and was given the key same week, while I resigned my appointment with the company in June 2016.’

Narrating his ordeals, Smart said “By August 2016, while my salaries were not forthcoming, I went to an NGO to help me recover my money from the company because the mechanic Sola was asking for the money owed Mr. Eze, even when I paid him a part payment of N50, 000.”

Trouble started for Mr Smart according to him “when the NGO started the move to recover my money, I was invited by the police in Lekki for stealing a car from the Anabel Group of Companies and also that I broke into the companies office to fight and eventually stole the attendance register.”

“In the two weeks of investigations, the OC legal department of the police division told me to go home, that all allegations made by my MD was frivolous but I should go and apologise to him for asking an NGO to come and source out my owed salaries from him. All of us were part of the investigation namely – The mechanic, the other man that bought the Toyota corolla, Mr Godfrey Eze, Mr James Okewu, Mr David Ebube and my MD’s Driver Mr Cheta Okoorafor.”

“To my surprise, just leaving the police station the same day, I was handed with a civil count charge at the Igbosere Magistrate Court by my MD’s lawyer Barr Anthony Nwachukwu, and accordingly the matter was struck out in 2017 for lack of evidence to back up their claims.”

According to the statement, Smart said “Not knowing that more troubles and landmines are ahead, on the 22nd of September 2016, OC legal of Lekki Phase 1 police post, Mr Tony Ogaga, cunningly sent for me to come, and I was detained, according to them that my former boss wrote a petition against me. That I stole the company’s car, some used cloths and shoes valued about $3000. My brother came the next day to bail and under intense pressure to write an undertaken against his wish.”

“Series of meetings were put up between me, the IPO Mr Ogaga and Mr Okoye, but Mt Okoye balantly refused coming for the meetings, my dad, now late was part of the committee to find a lasting solution, Mr Okoye only sent his aide James Okewu and handed a strict term upon which he will forget the case as – a) I should let go of the Toyota Corrolla that I bought and paid in full  (b) I should be ready to let go of the money I paid for the car (c) I should return part of the used shoes and cloths he gave a staff to share amongst us (d) I should be in his office to explain, teach, some of the softwares I bought and installed in the office systems to his staff (e) I should show his staffs how to put up passwords for bulk sms and email platforms.

“And in all these I was made to write an undertaken under duress because my sick father was with us, in which my former boss took advantage of. The IPO Mr Ogaga sent one Mr Festus to accompany me to the office on the 26th of October 2016 to confirm the softwares, credit bought on the sms platform and all other contentious issues, and on this same date, they seized my car from me.”

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“My MD told Mr Festus point blank that I have not seen anything yet, that I will have to do anything he wants in life for me to regain my freedom from him, requesting the police to tell me to come to train all his staff on ICT department. We left the office in annoyance, but curiously on the 28th day of October 2016, I was asked to report to the police again on the 29th of October, 2016, on getting to the office I met Mr Anthony Nwachukwu, a cousin to my MD, and I was asked to write an undertaken that I did not buy any car from Nicholas Okoye; that I did not pay any money and that Anabel Group of Companies and Mr Okoye is not owing me any money.” I refused.