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Earlier this week, Ghana witnessed a flurry of activities when one of Nigeria’s billionaire investors in the Ghanaian economy was accused of running a “militia” in his upscale home, a stone throw from JUBILEE HOUSE, the Presidential palace. His name is famously known as MR BENEDICT PETERS, the hardworking founder of the AITEO Group, an energy company with major stakes in oil and gas across Africa and globally.
I had just returned to Lagos from Abuja when the news broke. I immediately reached out to him and was relieved that he answered my call. “Bennie” as most friends call him was not such a man to be so treated without any proof of “armed bodyguards anywhere near him.” The only misdemeanor on the part of his security was the overzealousness of blocking access to other neighbors over a dispute with the estate managers. And he has expressed sincere apologies to the aggrieved and the security agencies while explaining that it was triggered by provocation from the facilities managers who reneged repeatedly on certain obligations…
Since he established his reputable business empire in Ghana, he’s been very reclusive and disciplined. Not many people can claim to have seen him outside his home or office. Not even me. I can count the number of times I’ve seen him on my fingertips. For a man as stupendously wealthy as he is, he is very security conscious. His security architecture is so professionally and meticulously structured. He has spent his fortune to engage the best of services. His bodyguards appear like men of the American secret service. These were the men mistakenly described as a “militia” and said to be “armed to the teeth…” I knew it must have been an exaggerated claim, and so it turned out to be, a false alarm indeed!!
I flew to Ghana the following day and was happy to meet my Brother in good spirit. Unknown to many, Bennie is highly cerebral. His homes and offices are often littered with books and educative magazines and journals. You will never catch him indulging in frivolities. And he is a health freak who passionately screens those who come in contact with him…
DELE MOMODU
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