How Boyfriend Squandered Anambra Orphan N10m

• Yusuf Oketola

An Anambra orphan, Victoria Mbachu has told a Nnobi Chief Magistrate Court in Idemili South local government area of Anambra State how her boyfriend, Mr. Olufemi Salako, squandered her N10 million being the proceed from the family land she sold at Nnobi.

According to information gathered by OSUN DEFENDER, Mbachu sold the land to an American-based Nigerian, Mr. Bonaventure Ezekwenna, only for her live-in, Salako, to convince her to run to Ogun State with him so as to avoid Ezekwenna from taking possession of the land.

However, Salako is currently being detained at the Onitsha Correctional Center for allegedly conniving with a native doctor, Mr. Chijioke Okaa to force Mbachu to sign an agreement that she sold the land to the native doctor. Okaa and Salako are facing charges of conspiracy against Mbachu.

Answering questions under cross-examination by the counsel to Salako, Mr Tochukwu Arugbuonye, Mbachu said that as soon as they reached Ogun State, Salako withdrew the money and told her that he bought a house worth N2.8 million for her.

She said that the uncompleted bungalow Salako showed her was even paid in his name, adding that he has also spent the remaining N7.2 million. She further said that it was Salako who suggested that they should elope from Nnobi to his country, Benin Republic, where the buyer of the land could not locate them.

She said: “I am the only child of my parents. Since the death of my father, I’m the only person occupying my father’s house. My father built only one small house, while I built the other house in our compound.

“I’ve known Salako since 2018 and he’s my fiance. I have two children, two girls, with him.

“I sold a small portion of land behind our house to Okaa who was brought by Salako. He paid two million naira for it and there was an agreement.

“The one causing the problem was part of the main compound which was my grandfather’s land. The person I sold the mainland to is Bonaventure Ezekwenna.

“I knew Okaa from Salako who brought him and he bought the small portion. When Salako told me that Okaa wanted to buy the whole compound and that he promised to build a house for me, I agreed, but he did not pay eventually.

“Okaa connived with Salako to force me to sign an agreement with them. I don’t know what Salako did with the money paid by Bonaventure, apart from the N2.8 million which he said he used to buy an uncompleted house and the rest of the money he has squandered. It was Salako that brought Okaa to me from the beginning.”