By Jonathan Ugbal
The feud between the manager of Southern Fried Chicken, a fast food outlet in Calabar, Barbara Abang and the owner of Amber lounge, Akeem Ibrahim over allegations that the later planted charms in the former’s business premises has continued with comedian, MC Mbakara openly declaring his support for Mr. Akeem.
Trouble began two weeks ago when a pastor unearthed what looked like a pig in front of the lounge which shares the same building with the outlet with Mrs. Abang saying that her husband had watched Mr. Akeem bury the charm over a year ago but kept quite when he was assured that it was not to harm anybody.
“He said they used to do sacrifice, that he did not do the sacrifice to harm my husband, to kill my husband; it was for his religious practices.”
“My husband actually saw him when he did it. A week before he opened his night club he told my husband and my husband actually told him that is not done.
“He was like where he was working before, he buried the head when his business was going down that it is not to harm anybody but it is for his business; that when the maggot starts coming out, as the maggots are coming out that is how customers will be coming in,” Barbara told CrossRiverWatch and claimed Mr. Akeem had buried the charm at about 2 or 3 AM and was assisting the “Jazz man who came from Osun state.”
When asked why no alarm was raised for an entire year, she said that: ““He was threatening my husband that he cannot say it that he cannot tell anybody that if he can bury an animal then he can actually carry out his threat.
“I went to my pastor who insisted that we have to go to the police and they have to dig out that thing,” said Mrs. Abang who alleged that Mr. Akeem is a Christian but had told the Police that he is a Muslim.
She said she kept asking Akeem what he was doing in her church and he claimed he was only invited and maintained that there have been accidents at the lounge and they are no longer comfortable with him as a tenant anymore.
Also, she claimed that Mr. Akeem had pleaded with them not to unearth the charm on a Friday but wait till midweek but they could not wait any longer and had to call in the pastor.
Watch the video here.
Meanwhile, Akeem has denied knowledge of all these. He told Hit FM’s Friday ‘Last Prophet’ Awade on the evening show; Otwetwe that the owners are trying to take advantage of him because he is not from Cross River State.
“The whole thing started last month. I was supposed to renew my rent between me and the people that gave me the place upstairs. I go at a point, pay into their account and they rejected saying they want to make use of the place. And I told them that we have a five year agreement.
“In the history of any lounge there is no where a lounge has been used for only one year. And we have agreement for five years. At a point, I was in the lounge one day and they invited me to state CID that the people downstairs … Threat to life and conduct likely,” Akeem said and agreed that he has had “confrontations” with Mrs. Abang in the past.
“Yes we had confrontation between me and the wife. According to her, she said I have threatened her which I know that I have not threatened anybody. I have been in Calabar for over 8 years now.
“I have never been to Police station before, this is the first time I am going to the Police station just because they want to take advantage of me because I don’t know maybe I am not from Cross River State I don’t want to start thinking that way,” Akeem said.
He said the Police officer dismissed it as a civil matter but when he “left Calabar on Thursday, and had met with Barbara’s husband on Wednesday where he asked if he could now pay the rent after going to the Police station and he said they will discuss it later,” was shocked to hear that people were digging holes in his business premises.
He said the moment he landed Abuja, his staff called him and said that there was a pastor in the premises with the manager of another lounge and insisted that he knows nothing and is currently at debt over the lounge.
“I don’t know nothing, they are trying to take advantage of me,” he said and added that: “Before I could achieve Amber, I get money from individuals, over 22 million naira that I need to pay people back every month.”
Meanwhile, the trend #iStandWithAkeem has been used by several entertainment industry players in their post to show solidarity with Mr. Akeem; But, Mrs Abang said she is unfazed by these.
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