In 2022, interior designer Adebisi Owolabi enrolled on Anabel Cares‘ training programme which was designed to help participants prepare for healthcare assistant jobs in the United Kingdom.
In 2023, Owolabi completed the training and the internship. Beam Support, the UK company that would employ him, interviewed Owolabi and he was later handed an employment letter dated May 16, 2023.
Anabel Cares, the trainer, told the participants that they would have to pay £3,074 for their Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), a payment Owolabi made in two instalments. The company promised that the CoS would be processed in two weeks, but they failed to keep to that deadline.
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“Later that year, we were informed that the UK government had placed a temporary suspension on overseas recruitment in the care sector due to ongoing investigations. When I followed up, Godwin Ezioma, the director of programmes at Anabelcares, advised me to remain patient as they expected the situation to be resolved,” Owolabi recounted.
“After waiting several months, I formally requested a refund in November 2024, clearly stating that I was not seeking reimbursement for the training programme — only the COS processing fee, which I had taken as a loan and am still obligated to repay. Despite multiple follow-up emails, I received no response.”
Ezioma had earlier claimed that Owolabi’s CoS fees had been forwarded to Beam Support and that the refund terms were ‘unfavourable’. When Owolabi contacted Beam Support directly in February, the company’s managing director said that no payment had been made to them on Owolabi’s behalf and no CoS application had been prepared or submitted.
When Owolabi reached out to Ezioma about the information he got from Beam Support, he promised that Anabel Cares’ legal team would contact him. When they did, their response was vague and unhelpful, Owolabi said.
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“I responded immediately, but to date, I have received no further communication. Their letter stated they were calculating ‘incurred expenses’ and would get back to me within 90 days, but it has now been over 120 days with no follow-up. I sent a reminder email, but again received no reply. I no longer know what their intentions are,” Owolabi said.
Owolabi added that he borrowed the $3,904 from an acquaintance, whom he had promised to refund once he got to the UK, but since the travel plans had been foiled, the lender was mounting pressure on him for a refund.
FIJ sent a WhatsApp text to Nick Okoye, Anabel Cares’ founder, and an email to the company’s email address. The Anabel Cares email address was “unable to receive email”.
On Wednesday, Ezioma called to say that Okoye forwarded FIJ’s message to him. He claimed that he could not relate to FIJ on Owolabi’s case because the latter had signed a non-disclosure with them. He said that FIJ should send an email to him with Owolabi in copy so he could grant permission for him to relate with FIJ on the issue.
Owolabi said he had not signed an NDA agreement with the company but he granted the permission on Wednesday. Ezioma acknowledged Owolabi’s permission but he had yet to give a response at press time.
The post Anabel Cares Withholds Interior Designer’s $3,904 Refund for 2 Years appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.