Nwadiogbu told SaharaReporters that he was poisoned and left in a room without help for several hours.
A businessman, Chief Solomon Nwadiogbu, has accused the management of Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, of poisoning his food while he was a guest at the facility to cover-up fraudulent financial activities going on in the company.
Nwadiogbu told SaharaReporters that he was poisoned and left in a room without help for several hours.
The matter, according to the businessman, began in March 2017 when management of Eko Hotel approached him to join in the laundering of funds from the company.
It was revealed that top staff of the hotel, especially those occupying managerial positions, connive with employees to secretly syphon and divert funds from the hotel’s account for personal use.
They speak with premium guests to register like 10 rooms under their names but later use such to lodge normal guests, who pay full amounts after which the managers deduct the discounted rate and keep the rest for themselves.
Nwadiogbu, who is Managing Director of Emilinks Limited Door Company, was approached to join in the fraud but he turned it down, according to him.
He alleged that the hotel’s management decided to poison him to teach him a lesson for refusing to cooperate with them.
Nwadiogbu said, “I was called to a meeting by management of Eko Hotel and discovered that I have 13 Premium accounts registered with my name, they have been using to check people in behind me.
“What they do is that they will convince people to pay cash, keep the discounted amount and share the proceeds.
“I rejected their offer but I didn’t know that Mr Danny Kioupouroglou, General Manager; and Noel Saade, Financial Officer; were not happy with my decision.
“A few days into my stay at the 9th floor of Eko Signature, I ordered for dinner but unknowing to me, the food had been poisoned.
“After eating the food, I went to sleep, and at about 2:00am, I began to feel uncomfortable and was vomiting and stooling.
“I called Danny, he did not answer, the front desk and other emergency number at the hotel but nobody showed up.
“It was in the morning that one Joquino, a staff of the hotel, rushed to my room and came to my aid.”
Nwadiogbu explained that he was rushed to Premier Hospital, Victoria Island, Lagos, where he was admitted on emergency and stabilised.
Nwadiogbu stated that after he became well, he visited the hotel to confront the staff but in a bid to get rid of all evidence, “Joquino, the chef that cooked that night, as well as the staff that brought the food to me, were all sacked.”
He added that he had a meeting with owners and management of Eko Hotel where a resolution was reached that he would be allowed to come to the hotel with his personal chef to avoid a repeat of the threat to his life.
Reacting to the claims by Nwadiogbu, Company Secretary of Eko Hotel and Suites, Mr Samuel Alabi, in news reports, claimed that the businessman was ejected from the hotel because he was indebted to them.
Asked if indeed Nwadiogbu was poisoned, the management of the hotel refused to speak on the matter, stating that the case was before a court.
The case with suit nos. FHC/L/CS/630/2019, has not been put up for hearing and has continued to suffer several adjournments by the assigned judge, Justice Saliu Saidu.
The case comes up for hearing this Thursday.