A lawyer, Olabiyi Ademola, has sued the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Farmcenta Global Investments Limited, Ademola Akinyemi, over alleged failure to pay his professional fees.
Farmcenta Global Investments, Mr. Iyke Otugo and Temitope Abiodun Akinyemi are the other defendants.
Ademola is praying for “a declaration that the defendants are jointly and severally liable to the claimant in the sum of N20,000,000 being the unpaid balance of the claimant’s professional fees for all legal services rendered to the defendants since inception to the year 2024.”
He urged the court to direct the defendants to pay him the N20 million as well as 21 per cent interest per annum from July 16, 2024, till the date of judgment and thereafter at the rate of 18 per cent per annum till liquidation.
The claimant said the defendants retained his services for all legal matters/actions in courts and those involving law enforcement agencies.
He said he represented the defendants in many cases at the magistrate courts, state high courts, the federal high courts and the Court of Appeal, such as suits FHC/L/372/2023, LD/13414MFHR/2022, CA/LAG/CV/1217/2022, FRN/L/143C/2023, among others.
Ademola said he also represented the defendants in many cases with the police Special Fraud Unit, land matters, and others.
He said he always ensured that the defendants’ interests were duly protected, and he also travelled to Abuja to ensure the prompt recovery of the defendants’ seized properties.
He said he also represented the defendants at a meeting with Jaiz Bank and facilitated a major loan facility of about N400 million.
He said it was agreed by the parties that N50 million would be paid to him as professional fees.
He said it was agreed that N20million which was earlier deposited with him by the defendants would be converted to part payment.
“On the 30th day of June 2024, the second defendant (Akinyemi) further requested a loan in the sum of N500,000 from the claimant on the promise that same would be refunded upon the second defendant’s release from custody.
“On the 3rd of July, 2024, the claimant paid the said amount to the second defendant (Akinyemi) as requested but he has failed and/or deliberately refused to refund the money as promised, despite several demands till present.”
Ademola said he demanded the outstanding fees in line with the agreement, but “shockingly”, the second defendant informed him at his office “that he had alternate ways of resolving all their pending matters and issues without needing the services of the claimant anymore”
The claimant said a concession was granted reducing the defendants’ outstanding balance of N30 million to N20 million as full and final payment of the professional fees.
Ademola said after several demands, rather than pay him, the defendants engaged the services of another lawyer.
The claimant accused the defendants of cheating, non-performance and a breach of contract aimed at taking undue advantage of his professional expertise, time and resources committed to rendering professional services to the defendants’ satisfaction, as they duly acknowledged in conversations.
The defendants have yet to file any response to the suit, and no date has been fixed for the hearing.