The 40-year-old victim said, “I have
been self-employed for a long time and I met Mike sometime last year. He
offered me a marketing job in his company and asked me to resume in the
first week of January.
"He produces PVC, a roofing material,
and said he wanted to expand to the north and since I needed the job, I
accepted. I went on January 6, but he told me to return the following
day. However, I could not make it because I travelled. On January 8, I
returned and after discussions, he said I should go get a sack in which I
could put the PVC into.
“I bought a Ghana-must-go bag of N500
with my own money and one of his former marketers showed me how to
package them. I loaded 200 pieces into the sack and I was set for my
travel to the north. But Mike said I should proceed to the production
section to learn more about the product.”
The graduate of Mass Communications from
Olabisi Onabanjo University said when it was about 4pm, he told Mike
that he wanted to leave so that he could arrive Kano on time, but an
argument ensued.
He said Mike became violent and descended on him.
Owolabi said, “After pleading with Mike,
he said I should remove the PVC from the bag and return the bag. As I
was doing this, Mike kicked me in my private part. I asked him why he
was being wicked to me since he was the one who offered me the job.
“He said I was not handling the PVC
properly and they could break. He then slapped me, so I held his shirt
in order to stop him, but his cousin, Tony, smashed a bottle on my head
and beat me up until I fainted.”
The father of two said when he woke up,
he was covered in blood. He said a lady took him to the Makun Police
Division from where he was referred to Idera Hospital for treatment.
He alleged that the Chinese men refused to visit him at the hospital and did not offer any apology.
He said the police refused to press charges against the Chinese men.
“The police said since Mike and Tony
were foreigners, a lot of things would be involved. I then reported the
matter to a human rights organisation and the case was taken to the
Nigerian Immigration Service, Ogun State Command. Mike and his cousin
came on January 17, and that was the first time they apologised to me
and promised to help me secure a Chinese visa,” Owolabi said.
Owolabi said he had been having medical challenges since the incident occurred.
“These days, I find it hard to sleep at
night. The doctor said I should do a brain CT and spinal cord X- Ray
and it costs about N45, 000,” he said.
He urged the government to ensure that Nigerians were not maltreated in their respective places of work.
Attempts to contact Mike on the
telephone proved abortive as he did not answer calls made to his
telephone and also did not respond to a text message sent to the phone.
Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa
Adejobi, who confirmed the incident, said the case would soon be
transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Eleweran,
Abeokuta.
Adejobi said, “The matter was reported
at the police station and the lawyers of both parties decided to have
settlement talks. However, the aggrieved party was not satisfied as a
human rights organisation came to register a complaint. The matter is
being transferred to SCID, Eleweran.”
The State Criminal Investigation Department, Eleweran, Ogun State, has detained two Chinese nationals, Mike Jackson and Tony Jackson, for allegedly brutalising Adeleke Owolabi, an employee of their company, Jivan Plastic Company.
Owolabi had said the police refused to arrest the Chinese men due to their status as foreigners.
However, it was learnt that after PUNCH Metro’s publication, the police immediately stormed the PVC manufacturing company in Sagamu and whisked the suspects away.
It was learnt that the suspects apologised to Owolabi, who was also at the SCID to write a statement.
Owolabi said, “Yes, the Chinese men have been detained at the SCID and I am satisfied with the action of the police so far. I am happy that the media are helping to ensure that the matter is not swept under the carpet.
It was learnt that the suspects would remain in police custody until the completion of investigation“I am not after money but I just don’t want a situation whereby Nigerians are treated badly by foreigners in their own land.”
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