Nigerian singer Rema is facing social media backlash after interior designer Amaka Obasi was arrested in a ₦386 million house renovation dispute, with the Force CID clarifying that the case stems from a contract and alleged breach of agreement, not harassment.
An X user who simply goes by the name Derrick accused Nigerian singer Rema of using the police to harass and detain an interior designer, Amaka Obasi (@amaka_babyy).
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In a lengthy post on the social media platform, Derrick said the harassment stems from the fact that she asked for payment for a project he commissioned her to do.
He said Rema and Amaka had an initial contract to renovate his new house.
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“Now it’s time to pay for the services, and he has involved the police Force CID Alagbon, by tricking her to come for a meeting and arresting her over the weekend, where she had to pay over 1 million naira as bail,” he wrote.
Matters arising
Going into their work history, Derrick noted that Rema and Amaka have worked on his mother’s house in Benin and his personal house before now.
The Mavin Records signee commissioned her to build a music studio for him, featuring an improved water system management, which Derrick said was not part of their initial agreement.
Following her arrest, he said, the police asked her to turn off her phone since last week so that Rema would think she was still in custody.
“She was arrested and detained yesterday (Monday) after honouring an invitation from the police with her lawyer.
“Throughout the course of this project, he has harassed and arrested her with the police three times, and now she’s currently in detention,” his post reads.
Clarification
Shedding light on the case, the Police Public Relations Officer, Force CID Annexe Lagos, Aminat Maiyegun, said a written petition was submitted to the FCID.
In her own account of the issue, Ms Maiyegun, an assistant superintendent of police, said the petitioner (Rema) stated that an agreement was entered into on 4 April 2023 with Amaka operating under the business name Ardeb Lifestyle Company, for a project valued at ₦386,000,000.
In a statement on her X page, the police officer said that a part payment of ₦287,000,000 was made, with the balance agreed to be paid upon completion.
“However, upon inspection, the petitioner discovered that the project was incomplete, and the furniture claimed to have been delivered was not in the building.
“The investigation further revealed that after receiving the funds, Miss Obasi failed to meet the terms of the signed agreement and instead transferred part of the money to another account,” she wrote.
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She further pointed out that police investigators also noted that the account number used by Ardeb Lifestyle Company was not properly linked or registered.
“Both parties were accordingly advised to engage an independent valuer to ascertain the position of funds and project execution. Instead, Miss Obasi declined to provide either a valuer’s report or a legal representative until she was eventually apprehended today,” she wrote.
Ms Maiyegun further urged the public to be wary of individuals who circulate misleading information to deceive well-meaning Nigerians.
“It is important to reiterate that the Nigeria Police Force does not serve personal interests or vendettas, but operates strictly according to the law,” she added.
Neither Rema nor Amaka has responded to the issue.
Amaka’s last post on X was on 30 August, in which she stated that she urgently needed the services of a lawyer.
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