Ozuem Wanyama (not his real name), a trader in Lagos State, has accused Uche Ahubelem, the founder of Brickwall Global Investment Limited, a real estate firm, of failing to either allocate land to him or refund his N756,000 for over 11 years.
Wanyama told FIJ that he made his first payment on December 15, 2011, for two plots of land at Igbesa in Ogun State, each costing N648,000. This was after he was convinced that Brickwall Global Investment Limited was a reputable organisation.
Before Wanyama paid a dime, he and many other traders at the market where he operates his stall in Lagos were taken to one of the sites owned by Brickwall Global Investment Limited. The sales representative who introduced them to Brickwall’s offer was considered trustworthy.
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“After she sold the idea to us, the company drove us to the site, showed us the land and gave us some forms. They said we could pay in instalments. That was how everything started. We collected the forms, filled them out and began paying once every two months so we could own property there,” Wanyama told FIJ.
Wanyama said he kept paying in instalments until December 13, 2013, when he decided to pause the payments because there were signs that Brickwall Global Investment Limited was not delivering on its promises.
“After some time, I stopped hearing from them. When I called the sales representative, she said she was ill but told me to go to their office. Anytime I went there, Uche would not be around, although other workers were,” he said.
Eventually, Wanyama said, the real estate company became unreachable. Their office at Trade Fair was closed first, followed by the one at Festac.
READ ALSO: With Customers’ N30.9m, Brickwall Global CEO Uche Ahubelem Disappears
“When I asked my friends, it was the same story. Nobody had heard from Uche Ahubelem. The company had vanished. That is how he conned us out of our payments. It’s been over 10 years, but I need my money back,” said Wanyama.
When FIJ called Ahubelem for comments on the matter, he insisted that the client was wrong for not fulfilling their contract which states that the client must pay for the two plots of land within a year.
After FIJ probed further to ask why his company continued to collect money from Wanyama, he then said the Lagos trader should call him at 8 am on Monday for a remedy. FIJ will continue to monitor the situation.
The post Brickwall Global Investment Refuses to Allocate Land or Refund Lagos Trader’s N756,000 for 11 Years appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.