Akinduro’s legal team responded by claiming that the accusations were based only on a contractual dispute and that the EFCC’s activities were unjustified. The team was lead by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Olalekan Ojo.
Akinduro’s attorneys argue that the dispute with Olushakin is already the focus of a civil action that is still pending (Suit No: I/875/2024), in which Akinduro disputes Olushakin’s assertions.
The legal team claims that the EFCC improperly escalated this contractual problem by declaring him sought without any court order or judicial support.
“Our client considers this online publication detrimental to his reputation and believes it to be an unjustified attack by the EFCC,” said a statement from Akinduro’s legal team.
Instead of engaging in dishonest behavior, which he vehemently denies, Akinduro has handled the conflict appropriately within the official legal system, according to his lawyers.
Akinduro’s team filed the complaint, which aims to prove that it is civil in nature and denounces the use of public resources as harassment.
Olushakin’s counterclaim, on the other hand, has escalated the legal dispute by requesting large sums that he claims are due as compensation for his investment. The already difficult legal proceedings are made even more difficult by this requirement.
Akinduro, who is adamant about his innocence, has emphasized his right to be deemed innocent unless proven guilty and asked for an open and equitable legal system.
Due to unsolved concerns in their commercial interactions, his legal team has pledged to confront what they describe as vicious and false charges.
The legal team stated: “Although we recognize that the aforementioned online publication must have caused our client’s friends and business associates great concern, we believe it is imperative to correct the records in order to demonstrate that the fraud allegations are false accusations intended to cause irreparable harm to Dr. Henry Akinduro’s well-earned but well-deserved reputation.”
Prior to our client’s name being published on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s wanted persons list, the parties had already referred the commercial or contractual disputes to a competent court.
In Suit No. I/875/2024, namely Total Grace Group Ltd. and Dr. Henry Akinduro v. Femi Olushakin, our client sought, among other things, a declaration that the claimants and defendant had a civil and contractual relationship and that the defendant’s ongoing use of the security state apparatus to threaten, harass, and harass the claimants over the aforementioned disagreement was illegal and wrong.
“Dr. Henry Akinduro, our client, has consistently demonstrated his sense of responsibility and seriousness regarding their investment agreement by responding to the procedures through our office as his lawyers with tenable correspondences, letters, and additional replies.
“Our client has pursued additional legal measures to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the fraud claims made against him are unfounded, groundless, baseless and ill-motivated.
It is important to emphasize that, according to constitutional decree, our client is deemed innocent unless and until the opposite is demonstrated.
While we wait for the Honourable Court to judicially assign rights and liabilities in the civil suit that Mr. Femi Olushakin, using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, has unilaterally, unlawfully, and maliciously framed as a criminal action in an attempt to undermine the business interests and honorable character of our Client, Dr. Henry Akinduro, we will expect that you will, at all material times, allow this benefit of doubt.
“Our client wants to reaffirm his belief that the legal system will uphold his rights.”