Mike Oluwole, the former boss of the 26-year-old Abuja-based photographer, Nicholas Peter, has broken his silence about his ex-staff member’s detention for 10 months in Keffi Correctional Centre.
Oluwole, who spoke with PUNCH Online in an exclusive interview on Monday, underscored his ex-staff’s alleged frivolous character, mismanagement, theft, and defamation as the justifications for his arrest.
According to him, Nicholas came to his office to sell a camera lens, which he later discovered to be stolen, adding that he put him on the spot to know about it even though he lied that it was for his friend who was bedridden and needed funds urgently.
“When he came to my office to sell the camera lens, I asked about its owner. He claimed that it belonged to his friend, and I put him on the spot to confirm. I made him sign that he sold it to me. I then told him how much I needed a good photographer and photo editor and he showed interest. I put him on a series of photography tests, which he passed outstandingly.
“I then employed him on probation for six months with a monthly pay of N70,000, and he consented. But I noticed something with Nicholas: he is always demanding. My company has a scheme called ‘I owe you (IOU)’ to help relieve staff members of their financial burdens until the end of the month when they get their salaries to repay. He was always defaulting in the scheme and would beg me to help him spread the pay beyond the next month.
“When he resigned, he only sent a text, and I asked him if that was the appropriate way to go about things. He then began to insult me, advising me on how to go about human management and leadership. I learned that our office phone was missing; I rang him to no avail after CCTV revealed that a day before his resignation, he had returned to the office, disconnected the office camera, and connected it while heading out. Unperturbed by his actions that are costing my customer database, I reported him to the police, and he was arrested,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer of Pesther said the photographer was questioned about the disappearance of the phone for days before his case was transferred to the court, stressing that he later confessed to stealing the phone, but it was too late to stop the prosecution.
He maintained that when the pressure for his release was mounting up, he wrote to the Upper Area Court, Mpape in Abuja, where he was prosecuted, to stop the case, but his letter was not approved.
“I heard that the letter was rejected because it was not properly written, of which I did due diligence. I learned about the bail fee when he got to Keffi Correctional Centre. At first, he said it was N20,000, which I sent to one of the people he contacted to beg me for his release. He rang me again and said that it was N50,000. I didn’t believe him because he had always had a distrust for him. So, I informed them to refund me. I did all I could to facilitate his release, and when he returned, he came to my office, and I sent N20,000 to him again with the promise that I would help him get an offer if he changed for good.
Reacting to the viral tweet about Nicholas’ detention, Oluwole said he was shocked to see that, and he learned that the foundation was just trying to get funds from the young man’s situation.
“The person that made the tweet never called me nor heard my own side of the story but went ahead to put such an onslaught post about me, my brand, and even my wife,” he noted.
However, when contacted, Funke Adeoye, founder of Hope Behind Bars Africa, who recently tweeted about Nicholas’s situation, said she was just touched by it and many others that she had done in the past.
She said, “In my foundation, part of my team’s mandate is providing free legal services to indigent awaiting trial inmates who cannot afford legal representation or innocent people behind bars. In some instances, we also help with payment of fines for individuals who cannot pay where they have been charged with a minor crime.
“Someone from a sister organisation, Yiaga Africa, reached out to us about Nicolas’ case, and a member of my team reached out to Keffi Correctional Centre to give us correct details on both the issue and character of the person in question.
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We were informed that Nicholas had been there for 10 months for ‘intentional insult’ and was there because he could not pay some money.
“Normally, we only pay bail sums or fines if there is funding for them, and when Nicholas’ case came up, there wasn’t. So, my colleague reached out to a couple of individuals, and someone anonymously gave us N50,000. My colleague Hassan went to the correctional centre and facilitated his release. When he got out, we gave him some stipends, asked him if he had a place to stay, and told him to settle in and reach out to us later to discuss reintegration plans.”
Speaking on whether the people were paying her for securing the photographer’s release, Adeoye said she never sought financing for her foundation but for Nicholas and that she was glad that people were turning up for him on social media, where his account details were posted.
She further dispelled the rumour that she had used the tweet to taunt Oluwole or his business while admitting that the post was harmless and that she was ready to defend it at any time.