Samuel Eke, a businessman, has narrated to FIJ how he lent $40,000 to Daniel Oyekan, his Dubai-based friend and client, on September 23, 2023, but Oyekan failed to repay despite agreeing to do so on September 25, 2023.
Eke told FIJ that Oyekan texted him in September to say he needed financial assistance and wanted him to loan the sum for one percent interest in two days.
“I sent the money to his bitcoin wallet and was expecting my money on September 25,” Eke told FIJ. “When it was time to refund, he blocked me, claiming the balance was something my company, Bridge Network Technology, owed him. This was false, as the company did not owe him anything.
“I have tried all means to recover the funds from him, including reporting to the EFCC.”
WHAT DID DANIEL OYEKAN MEAN?
In 2021, Eke and Bridge Network Technology launched a cryptocurrency token. During a presale, Oyekan bought $380,000 worth of tokens, as contract documents between both parties show.
The agreement signed between both parties was for Oyekan to get tokens every month for 24 months, but in 2022, things went sideways as investors sought to withdraw the rest of their monies instead of waiting for the tokens, Eke told FIJ.
“We paid everyone despite not having a refund agreement in the contracts, but we did. We even overpaid Oyekan by $100,000, but he refunded about $75,000 and was yet to refund the rest, but we did not press him for it.
“I treated him like a friend, which was why I gave him this loan.
“After this exchange, some people called to plead on his behalf, saying I should accept $20,000 instead of the $40,400 he owes me.”
FIJ called Oyekan’s known phone number, but he did not answer it. The newspaper sent him messages on WhatsApp, but as of press time, he had not responded.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.