Great betrayal! How Albert Okumagba’s most trusted friend deserted him in time of need

By Femi Ajayi

There is nothing in human-form, that bears a heart as vile and petrifying as a traitor’s.

He that befriends a traitor, is lost to truth and loyalty emblematic of unwavering comradeship. He is forever subjected to the studied sly and ensnaring wile of his treacherous friend. And none other but Albert Okumagba understands this sad fact. The Managing Director of BGL, a Lagos-based financial services company, was cast in desolate state following his arrest last week for fraud amounting to billions of naira.

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arrested Albert for alleged N28.9bn fraud. The BGL boss was arrested for allegedly obtaining money by false pretence. The 51-year-old, who hails from Delta State, was picked up late Wednesday, September 9, 2015, by EFCC operatives. His arrest was triggered by investigation into a petition submitted to the anti-graft agency by the Security and Exchange Commission in May 2015.

“The suspect is alleged to have diverted the sum of N28.9bn being proceeds of private placements of 4.3bn ordinary shares of 50k each at N7.00k per share in 2007,” revealed a source in the EFCC. The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the arrest and interrogation of the BGL boss.

Albert’s desolation however, has little to do with his arrest and incarceration; it has more to do with his desertion by a very close friend, who is currently the chairman of a popular bank. Albert is irredeemably heartbroken over his friend’s betrayal. Following his incarceration, Albert’s wife sent the so-called bank chairman a text message requesting that he assists him but the popular bank chairman simply replied the troubled woman to send him a text later, that he was in a meeting. Ever since, the latter had tactfully avoided Albert and his wife; his betrayal rubbishes the friendship they had built over the years. It would be recalled that Albert was instrumental to the success of certain crucial deals of his treacherous friend back when the latter was seeking his niche in the nation’s banking sector. When Albert’s friend failed to help, his family members rallied round to effect his bail few days ago