$87m Suit: Court Orders Immediate Release Of Jesam Michael

The Federal Capital Territory High Court, Bwari division has ordered the immediate release of unlawful and unconstitutional detention of Jesam Michael, Chief Executive officer (CEO) Afrique Arbitrage System (AAS) a crypto currency organization.

Justice Mohammed Idris of the FCT high court, Bwari Division in a motion exparte gave the restraining order in suit No Fct/Hc/Cv/14/2025 with a motion number Fct/Hc/Bw/m/101/2025 after all the evidences has been extablished by the applicant Jesam Micheal currently detained by the Nigerian Police Force.

Justice Idris however ordered that the 1 to 3 respondents, Nigerian Police Force, Inspector General of Police, IGP and Deputy Commissioner of Police Okezie Chikezie (Anti Fraud section ) be compelled to produce the applicant in court at the next adjournment date and hearing notices be served to all respondents personally or through any national newspaper.

Earlier, one of the respondents in the suit and also Chief Technical Officer (CTO) Afrique Arbitrage System (AAS) Mr Abayomi Oluwaseun made a confessional statement to the alleged Eighty Seven Million Dollars fraud belonging to the crypto currency organization after series of investigations and interrogations.

Mr Abayomi Oluwaseun was also alleged to have changed the original details including codes, password, emails and other relevant details of the licensed crypto currency organization given to him on trust by the applicant and his Boss the CEO, of the organization, Mr Jesam Michael before he proceeded to Canada on health grounds.

Further investigation into the matter also alleged that Mr Abayomi also hacked the organization’s account and stole the sum of Eighty Seven Million Dollars worth of crypto currency belonging to the company rendering thousands of legitimate investors useless and out of the crypto currency market.

After the development, the applicant Mr Jesam Michael lodged an official complain to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, INTERPOL and other relevant anti graft agencies on arrival back to the country with no positive responses, before the Inspector General of Police IGP, Kayode Egbetokun ordered the matter to be transferred to the Special Investigation Police Unit (SIPU) for further investigation.

It was also alleged that Mr Abayomi Oluwaseun was later arrested and after thorough interrogation confessed to the crime bothering on Eighty seven Million Dollars belonging to Afrique Abritage Systems.

Following a further investigation by the IGP’s Special Investigation Police Unit (SIPU) headed by CSP Asuquo Inyang, part of the looted funds and other stolen assets were recovered and the organization at the time was beginning to bounce back, before the table turned around when CSP, Taiwo Oyewole was deployed to the unit to spear head the activities of (SIPU) unit after the transfer of Asuquo.

Sources reveal that CSP Taiwo Oyewole has been making a lot of outrageous and unlawful demands under the guise of the IGP, Egbetokun from the CEO Afrique Abritage Systems Mr Jesam Michael after the recovery of Eighty Seven Million Dollars and 30 plots of lands from Abayomi Oluwaseun.

Refusing some of the unlawful demands by CSP Taiwo, Mr Jesam Michael was unconditionally intercepted by the men of the Force at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos where he was flown back to Abuja in chains and has been unlawfully detained for undisclosed reasons in violation to his fundamental human rights.

To this sudden development, a civil society organization, The Supreme Niger Delta Youth Council (SNDYC) has appealed to the IGP, Egbetokun to immediately wade into the matter and take every necessary legal action against CSP Taiwo Oyewole who has been interfering in the ongoing investigation.

The leader of the group, Prince Newgent Ekamon however called for the immediate release of Jesam Michael who has been in the detention facility of the Nigerian Police Force for over (3) weeks to enable him access medical attention on a kidney related issue.

The group, however, expressed worry over the continuous silence of the IGP, Egbetokun, after the allegations in certain quarters that CSP, Taiwo Oyewole is doing the bidding under the guise of the IGP

The matter was subsequently adjourned to 18th February 2025 for further hearing in the substantive suit

Garry Ochigbo