The rate of crumbling of the business empire belonging to the Ondo State born business mogul may have found a bottomless pit.
This is as the Inspector General Of Police [IGP], Adamu recently ordered the ejection of the former owner of the Niccon Luxury Hotel, Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim out of the Niccon Luxury Hotel located at Garki in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory [FCT].
The embattled business mogul who has recorded more business failures than successes, had trooped into the lobby area of the Niccon Luxury Hotel with his entourage in celebratory mood following a court victory that reinstated him [Jimoh Ibrahim] as the owner of the hotel. Jimoh Ibrahim arrived the hotel to announce to the staff and guests that he has won the legal battle for the hotel – that he is back to collect his hotel. He boasted that no man born of a woman can take the hotel away from him.
The lobby of the hotel was filled with uniformed security men from the Nigeria police – particularly the mobile police [MOPOL]. They numbered in the dozens.
Amidst the celebration, Jimoh Ibrahim received a call from the IGP. Before Jimoh could speak, the IGP ordered that Jimoh should vacate the premises. He gave Jimoh 3minutes to vacate the compound of the hotel. The uniformed security men who had accompanied Jimoh were asked to return back to the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters for query.
It is recalled the hotel had been taken over by the Nigerian government following Jimoh Ibrahim’s inability to clear outstanding debt. The management of the hotel was then handed over to AMCON in late November 2020.
Prior to the takeover by AMCON, sources from the hotel management disclosed that Jimoh Ibrahim and his associates came to the hotel and began stripping the hotel of valuables – knowing the takeover by AMCON was eminent.
Jimoh had made attempts at meeting personally with the President but was repeatedly denied access each time he visited the presidential villa. On one of his numerous visits, Jimoh was granted access to the vice president. But the vice president told Jimoh that his hands were tied because Jimoh had clearly breached the terms of agreement with the federal government
The monies that were remitted to Jimoh Ibrahim for the reconstruction and management of the hotel was allegedly misappropriated and used for personal business. The amount is believed to be in excess of N10billion.
According to informed sources, the said funds was redirected to estate acquisitions in Dubai. The fund was not spent on Niccon Luxury Hotel. The hotel has remained an ongoing construction since the Obasanjo administration when the facility was handed over to Jimoh Ibrahim in 2003/4.
Those within the Obasanjo circle point to the real ownership of the hotel as being Obasanjo’s, and not Jimoh Ibrahim. They claim Jimoh as merely a front. “That why Jimoh was so confident Buhari’s administration would not be able to take away the hotel”. He was shocked.
This explains why the daughter to the former president [Iyabo Obasanjo] was frequently the hotel to inspect the operations at the hotel prior to AMCON’s takeover. Olusegun Obasanjo had instructed his daughter to begin inspecting the hotel after he had visited the hotel and asked to be booked into the presidential suite on the 12th floor. The former president was told the presidential suite was not available – because it was still under construction.
A shocked and angry Obasanjo – let out a scream that “this boy has been lying to me”. Referring to Jimoh’s lies that the hotel kept in his care is being managed properly. It was after the Obasanjo’s visit that Iyabo was instructed to be monitoring the activities of the hotel. But it was little too late.
The hotl has been placed in the market for buyers to bid. Aliyu Dangote has expressed interest along with other billionaires. 247ureports.com understands the federal government prefers to sell the facility to a group, and not to one individual.
Stay tuned
