*Claims Conde Spent Investors’ Millions on Lottery, Wife, Girlfriend
Social media critic Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), ignited a firestorm of controversy on Sunday with a video posted on his platforms, accusing Adetunji Conde of defrauding investors of N100 million and blackmailing Justice Mabel Segun-Bello, a Federal High Court judge, to evade accountability.
In his alleged exposé, VDM claimed to possess Conde’s bank statements revealing lavish personal expenditures and vowed to escalate the case to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and Magistrate Basil of Magistrate Court 18, Zone 2, to ensure justice is served.
VDM’s allegations center on a 2024 incident where he met Conde at Area 10, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while visiting a detained individual. Conde, then detained alongside his wife, Ajoke Amudat Conde, reportedly told VDM that Justice Segun-Bello was intimidating him over a “business gone bad,” claiming she vowed he would “rot in jail.” Initially sympathetic, VDM considered publicizing the case, believing it reflected judicial overreach. However, his instincts prompted restraint, and recent publications by Sahara Reporters and TheNigeriaLawyer — titled “Nigerian Couple Accuses Justice Segun-Bello of Weaponizing Police in N100 Million Investment Dispute” and “We Will Not Be Intimidated: Couple Accuses High Court Judge of Weaponizing Police” — spurred him to investigate further.
According to VDM, his findings revealed that Conde, far from being a victim, allegedly orchestrated a scheme to misappropriate N100 million meant for a contract with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). VDM recounted how Justice Segun-Bello, a friend of Conde, declined to invest due to restrictions on government employees engaging in business but referred him to her younger brother, an entrepreneur. Subsequently, investors, trusting Segun-Bello’s introduction, transferred N100 million to Conde’s company, Elizabeth and Esther Nig. Ltd., through intermediaries Tobi Bolarin and Gbenga Ekundayo. When the investment yielded no returns, Conde allegedly became evasive, claiming the funds belonged to Segun-Bello and accusing her of orchestrating the deal, prompting a petition that led to his arrest in a Lagos army barracks after a tense standoff.
VDM presented what he claimed were Conde’s bank statements, obtained through unspecified means, showing that on September 17, 2024, Conde received N100 million in tranches — N20 million from multiple investors, N10 million, and others — when his account balance was only N11,000. Rather than investing the funds, VDM alleged Conde spent extravagantly: N37.1 million to his wife, N1.04 million to family members, N1.44 million to a girlfriend named Jennifer, N5.5 million on lotteries, N515,000 on hotels, N14 million to “forward and upward” entities, N750,000 to lawyers, and N4.3 million to real estate agents. By January 13, 2025, VDM claimed only N949,000 remained, with no inflows suggesting a legitimate business venture.
“This man don’t get any business whatsoever,” VDM declared, branding Conde a “blackmailer” and “bad person” exploiting Segun-Bello’s judicial position.
The critic accused Conde of leveraging media to tarnish Segun-Bello’s reputation, citing the couple’s petition to the IGP, which alleged the judge, Bolarin, and Ekundayo weaponized the police to criminalize a civil dispute. Represented by Femi Falana (SAN), the Condes claimed Segun-Bello coerced them into an unfair liquidation agreement and vowed to re-imprison them by 2025, prompting their request to reassign the case from Magistrate Basil’s court due to perceived bias. Falana argued that contractual disputes cannot be criminalized, per Supreme Court precedent, and decried the couple’s detention as a violation of Ajoke Conde’s rights, as she was not a party to the contract.
VDM, however, dismissed these claims as fabrications, asserting that Segun-Bello is the victim, silenced by her judicial role to avoid accusations of bias. “Injustice can happen to anybody, rich or poor,” he said, alleging Conde’s media campaign risks costing Segun-Bello a promotion. VDM vowed to write to Sahara Reporters and Nigerian Lawyers to retract their stories pending further investigation and promised to ensure Conde’s rearrest, stating, “You go pay that N100 million or you go prison.” He urged Nigerians to scrutinize the case, warning against supporting “wicked people” like Conde.
The controversy traces back to a criminal prosecution against Adetunji and Ajoke Conde for alleged misappropriation and breach of trust involving N100 million invested in Elizabeth and Esther Nig. Ltd. The couple, facing charges of cheating, criminal breach of trust, and personation, insists the matter is a civil dispute, accusing Justice Segun-Bello, Bolarin, and Ekundayo of abusing police power to intimidate them. Their petition, backed by Falana, alleges Segun-Bello’s influence turned a contractual disagreement into a criminal case, with Ajoke’s detention deemed unlawful. The Condes also sought to reassign their trial, citing judicial bias after the original magistrate withdrew post-bail. The case, ongoing at Magistrate Court 18, Zone 2, is set for its next hearing on March 27, 2025.
The post VDM: Justice Segun-Bello Silenced By Judicial Role, Not Perpetrator In N100m Investment Dispute; Conde Accused Of Fraud, Blackmail appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.