Sequel to the rumour being peddled about the detainment of Nigerian businessman, Segun Adebutu, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), new reports have surfaced to debunk and repudiate said claims.
Segun Adebutu is the chairman of Petrolex Oil and Gas in Lagos, Nigeria and son of the popular lotto pioneer, Kensington Adebutu, popularly known as Baba Ijebu.
Speaking to newsmen earlier today in Lagos, a source who claimed anonymity, revealed that while Segun Adebutu had indeed paid a visit to the EFCC office, it was however only to answer questions relating to a petition from Senator Buruji Kashamu, an Ogun State politician whose lottery company, Western Lotto is a competitor to Premier Lotto.
He added that due to its successful presence in Nigeria, Premier Lotto has attracted envy from competitors over the years and is therefore not surprising that unfounded stories could be fabricated about the business.
In corroboration, ThisisLagos, an online news platform confirmed in a news post as well as photograph that while the news of his detention were making the rounds Tuesday night, Segun Adebutu was seen lounging with a group of persons assumed to be business partners and some members of his staff at ‘The W’ a popular hangout zone at the Falomo area of Ikoyi, Lagos.
Buruji Kashamu had petitioned the EFCC about corruption in the betting industry, but deemphasised allegations of being a disgruntled player in the business, saying he had taken the matter to court and was now only concerned about the interest of Nigerians.
Concerned about the defamatory effect the false reports may have on the Adebutus and their businesses, the anonymous believes the rumour could be very well tied to Kashamu, saying, “some competitors in the lottery business have envied Premier Lotto’s track record of successes without appreciating the amount of work that had gone into the company over the decades. It is highly irresponsible for a man to embark on the sponsorship of a campaign of calumny against an octogenarian who has created indelible footprints on the lottery industry, and his family,”
In the same vein, a lottery commission official who spoke to newsmen on the matter also accused Kashamu of instigating the petition against Premier Lotto because he wanted to dominate a section of the betting business in Nigeria.
According to him, “What we learnt is that Buruji Kashamu said he has sole rights to ‘Ghana Games’ in Nigeria. But he should not burn down the entire industry to implement his business interests,” another official said under anonymity because the lottery commission was still considering a unified response to the EFCC investigation.
He added that an association of betting companies would soon meet to form a coordinated response to the EFCC investigation that was triggered by Mr Kashamu’s alleged “anti-industry practices.”
Recall that in July 2019, the United States sought the extradition of Buruji Kashamu for allegedly smuggling 6.6kg worth of heroine into the country in 1994 for which he has denied culpability.