The Awujale of Ijebu, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona has revealed that he intervened in the battle Globacom chairman and Nigerian billionaire, Mike Adenuga had with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission by threatening former president Olusegun Obasanjo to leave Adenuga alone.
According to the monarch, Adenuga was only a pawn in the crisis between ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
He further stressed that he had found out that the EFCC battle with the Globacom boss was as a result of his perceived affiliation with Atiku Abubakar.
“The kernel of the matter really, as I told him, was his disagreement with Abubakar Atiku, his deputy, and they had taken the matter almost life-and –death level. Mike Adenuga was a pawn in the crisis, and he should be given the right to defend himself,” Awujale wrote.
Speaking on how he approached Obasanjo on several occasion to ensure that Adenuga is allowed to freely conduct his business, Awujale said he had to threaten Obasanjo to leave the business tycoon alone or be ready to battle him as well.
“I declared that what Nuhu Ribadu, Chairman of EFCC, was doing in respect of Mike Adenuga was wrong and he was doing it at Obasanjo’s behest. I told him that I refrained from interfering because I wanted to see how the law would pan out on the issue,” he wrote.
Explaining further, Awujale wrote: “I reminded Obasanjo that he was no longer in office and he should back off in his pursuit of Mike. I went further to let him know that if Nuhu Ribadu did not desist from molesting Mike, I would go into the ring with them. Here I made clear that I would take him and Ribadu to unnecessarily and unjustifiably pursue Mike. Obasanjo promised to see Ribadu and to ask him to back off. He further promised to give me feedback on this.”
Mike Adenuga had gone on exile for several years after EFCC picked on him during ex-President Obasanjo’s reign and early days of late President Yar’Adua.
