John Fashanu
held in Nigerian hell-hole jail pen with 200 other prisoners after being
accused of land scam
The former
Wimbledon and England star spent two days locked up with 200 others as officers
investigated claims he acted as a fixer in a scam to sell plots that were not
for sale
John Fashanu
was left in a Nigerian jail pen with 200 others after being held over an
alleged dodgy land deal, police have revealed.
The former
Wimbledon and England star spent two days locked up as officers investigated
claims he acted as a fixer in a scam to sell plots that were not for sale.
He was
arrested at his home on the Sun City Estate, in the capital Abuja, and taken in
on suspicion of “criminal conspiracy”, detectives said.
It is
alleged that earlier this year the former I’m a Celeb favourite acted for a
friend looking to buy land.
The pal
claims he was told by Fashanu, 54, of two contacts who would help with buying
“forgotten lands” – plots owned by chiefs that the state were unaware of.
He was
allegedly given £23,000 in cash to fix the deal with his “boys”. But when the
new “owner” went to claim his land, it is alleged he found it not for sale and
not in the hands of local chiefs.
Fash, who
once fronted Nigeria’s version of Deal or No Deal, was taken before a
superintendent last week to explain himself before being left in a packed pen, police
sources said.
Officers are
now looking for the other two men said to be involved. It is believed they are
still in Nigeria, where the average yearly wage is £1,600 (660,000 Nairi).
Fashanu has
agreed to pay the money back, although he denies wrongdoing.
A source
close to the former Gladiators presenter said last night: “This is a business
deal between friends that has gone south and the police were asked to basically
mediate.
“It will all
be sorted very quickly. It was just a business deal.”
It is
understood Fashanu was released after surrendering his British passport and
agreeing to pay back a first instalment of the money.
Sources said
he looked to sell some of his cars to raise the cash as he waited for funds
from his numerous business interests to clear in his bank account.
The
London-born celebrity’s Nigerian barrister Hyp Egbune confirmed he had this
week paid a second instalment of the money owed.
He said:
“The matter is being resolved. He won’t be charged to court is my understanding.
“We are
repaying the money and that should settle this matter.
“The person
who made the complaint has been a mutual friend for quite a number of years and
we are more interested in keeping that relationship so we are making amends. We
hope to do that as soon as we can. It is quite a lot of money so we hope to do
it as soon as we can. We want to have this resolved.”
Nigerian
police Deputy Inspector General Hyacinth Dagala said: “John Fashanu was
arrested on July 17 in connection with an allegation of criminal conspiracy and
obtaining the sum of N9,550,000 [Nigerian Naira] under false pretence.
“He was
granted administrative bail on July 18 but because of his inability to produce
the requisite surety on that day, he remained in detention until July 19 when
he was released.”
Fashanu is a
respected businessman and philanthropist, who now has the grand title of
Ambassador in his adopted nation. Once said to be worth upwards of £6million,
he spends his days in Nigeria cutting business deals, hanging out with
politicians and fighting to stop people trafficking.
He and third
wife, TV personality Rachel Bakam, are regulars on the social scene at glitzy
parties.
Last year,
the couple were given chieftaincy titles. Fashanu became Ofia-Afulu-Agu of Okwe
Kingdom (meaning The Forest that Contains the Lion) and his wife Ugo-Di-Namba
of Okwe Kingdom (Beautiful Eagle Queen from Another Kingdom).
Fash has
been a UN ambassador for Nigeria, a Unicef goodwill ambassador for 53 African
countries and a former board member of the Nigeria Football Association.
During his
playing days, in 1997, he was acquitted in a high-profile match-fixing trial
along with goalkeepers Bruce Grobbelaar and Hans Segers. In 2015 he was
arrested over an unlicensed gun found in his Nigerian house during a police
raid. He ended up paying a fine.
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