Funmi Adenmosun-Bank Chief Who`s A Serial Scammer Gets EFCC Immunity

Poverty of goods, they say is easily cured but poverty of the mind is irreparable. This aptly describes the story you`re about to read. It is a story of a high profile financial expert whose track records would have attracted the phrase `of great repute` had he not allegedly soiled his hands in various dubious financial rackets.

Funmi Adenmosun`s name is not new in the clique of financial scammers, in fact as at the last rating, the former director of Bank PHB (now Keystone) is atop the scale for his expertise in serial financial manipulations, little wonder he is one of the prominent allies of the bank`s erstwhile boss, Francis Atuche who`s standing trial in a celebrated case of conspiracy and stealing in a Lagos high court presided over by Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo.

Aside the Francis Atuche`s case which is presently witnessing a tough legal redress, Funmi Adenmosun is involved in a number of other sharp financial practices of which he has been dragged severally to the EFCC offices both in Abuja and Lagos but people in the know have come out to say he has bought over the powers that be in EFCC and that his case files have even been burnt.

By qualification, Funmi Adenmosun would have been one of Nigeria`s best in financial practice going by the level of his intelligence and steadfastness, but those who have encountered the sting of the quiet and easy going banking guru will not forget in times close by.

A fulfilled banker by all standard, one time director of Bank PHB, Vice Chairman of Investment & Allied Assurance Company (IAAC) and above all, Chief Executive Officer of numerous blue chip companies such as, H.T Real Estate Limited, Home Trust Savings & Loans Limited, H.T Asset Management Limited, Coral BDC Limited and Greenwich Trust Limited, the man who`s supposed to be working the street of Lagos freely now goes about in bodyguards, police escort and other security personnel due to his antecedents.

Weeks ago, precisely on Friday, August 17^th, 2012 during the superlative burial of his mum, Elder Mrs. Adeline Olufolake Adenmosun aged 82, we learnt the banking guru had to force family members to consider Abalti Barracks on Western Avenue, Ojuelegba, Surulere, Lagos for the entertainment of guests because he knows that none of those he has swindled will be able to embarrass him in the full glare of soldiers.

Xraying some of his stock in trades, Funmi Adenmosun we gathered reliable allegedly deceived one Mr. Dickson Aiyeola of Golden Treasure Investment Limited that by virtue of his several companies and track records as financial expert of international standing, he is licensed to transact banking and foreign exchange business, this, the source told us further was what gave credence to the transaction as the unsuspecting Dickson who needs to get foreign currencies for some of his clients paid a whopping sum of N108, 744, 080 (One Hundred and Eight Million, Seven Hundred and Forty Four Thousand and Eighty Naira Only) to Adenmosun`s H.T Real Estate Limited Account via bank drafts in return for $921,560 (Nine Hundred and Twenty One Thousand, Five Hundred and Sixty Dollars) within 7 days of payment.

As you read this, there have been several victims of hypertension and high blood pressure due to the veracity of this dupe as those who lost monies are now living in penury, most of them who`re mothers and bread winners trading in Swiss lace materials do not have any means of business anymore while Mr. Adenmosun walks freely without justice for the past months and years.

Dickson Aiyeola is not the only one who fell for the trick of the serial scammer, Matthew Oluese, an upcoming stock broker and forex expert also got hook, line and sinker going by Funmi Adenmosun`s background as an investment banker, Matthew` who runs Landmark Bureau De Change is at present standing trial over a matter he knows nothing about.

According to his story, Matthew had paid over N140m (One Hundred and Forty Million Naira Only) via bank draft to Adenmosun`s account in return for $960,000 (Nine Hundred and Sixty Thousand Dollars) but since then, he has not even seen a kobo and his clients who`re influential traders in Oke Arin market, Lagos Island have taken the matter to the high and mighty.

What an irony you would say, when Matthew was dragged to the EFCC office, he saw it an opportunity for justice, at least the man with whom the money was paid with facts, figures and documents is also in EFCC but alas, super Adenmosun is not just freed, his file is nowhere to be found, we learnt the former boss of the anti graft agency, Farida Waziri allegedly gave a standing order that no one should touch him and to stamp her order, she allegedly took her time to pack Adenmosun`s file along with her when she was eased of her enviable job.

And just as we were about filing our reports on Adenmosun`s serial scam came a shocking revelation of Alhaji Danladi, a popular Bureau De Change dealer in Lagos who lost almost N1billion to this same man who lavished lots of millions for the final burial of his mum 3 weeks ago. To Alhaji Danladi, Adenmosun is only buying time, he has however promised to get his other colleagues who`re also victims of Adenmosun`s sharp practices to talk to us in what they termed a bombshell chat.

In our facts finding mission, we did seek Adenmosun`s side of the story by putting a call through to him to tell us what he knows in all the allegations, the smart man courteously answered, “please text me your details, name, media house and address”, he then promised to send his media consultant to file his own side of the story, the next day, a certain Prince called us, he claimed to be a journalist and introduced himself as his (Adenmosun`s) media manager. Is this the editor of Enquirer? Yes sir, good day, how may we help you. Okay good, my name is Prince, I have my client`s instruction to talk to you on the story you spoke to him about, please how can I see you? You can see me in my office sir (we gave him our office address the second time).

The next day, Prince called again asking us to meet him somewhere in an eatery and we told him it`s not possible, it`s an official matter, we don`t meet in an eatery for official matters. The third day he called us that, his client asked him to give us N30,000 for lunch, it was at this junction that we began to suspect the Prince as part of Adenmosun`s scam syndicate.

In a swift reaction, we did ask him some questions after his offer: Prince thank you so much sir, please what are your real names? Am Prince (he giggled on phone), though am not a royal Prince o, am Prince sha, people call me Prince, okay Prince what, where are you from, where do you work, which Newspaper or magazine or are you in the broadcast genre of the media? No o, am not in the broadcast, am in the media don’t worry, just don’t worry, please help me with the N30,000 for the lunch, I`ll make it up to you later as a colleague.

With all this, we began to be apprehensive, we told him to come to our office but he insisted that we send him an account details- another dubious antics to access even our own account. The next day, he sent us a text message, “Hi Tunde, good morning sir, pls I`ve been on hospital admission for a week now. Pls txt ur account details so dat I can arrange for deposit of 50k into account. I promise to see you once I get well. Thanks-Prince”.

The story has just begun.

Jite Usman