By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Some MLM leaders in Nigeria have been asked to refund investors who are trapped in an alleged scam worth N200 billion.
Dr Ope Banwo, the Coordinating Attorney of the Omegapro Action Nigeria (OPANI), a group of Nigerian investors whose funds remain stuck in the alleged fraud, said the MLM Diamonds lured the victims to put their hard-earned money into the business.
It was alleged that members of the public were convinced by the promoters of Omegapro Forex and Investment Trading Company to invest in the organisation’s Ponzi scheme.
These persons, according to Mr Banwo, are Daniel Onoja, Tomiwa Orunnipin, Samuel Ajibare, and Leo Bonaventure.
He listed the other promoters and agents as Grace Udenwa Udoye, Wuraola Fadairo Orunupin, Olasebikan Oladapo, Maryann Ilorah, Chinwe Ikpe, Ajibare Olushola Ebunoluwa, Dotun Fatoyinbo, Dr Afoma Nwolisa, and Matthew Ogunmodede.
The US-based lawyer said efforts would be made by the group to recover some or all of the investments lost to OmegaPro owners, their agents, endorsers, collaborators, and marketers.
“I continue to affirm that we are not focusing on the leaders alone and leaving out influencers, Dubai royals, owners of the company, etc…. but charity MUST begin at home with good faith effort by those who led us into this in the first place.
“It is not a punishment or a vendetta. Refunding some of the commissions is only the fair, just, humane, and classy thing to do,” Mr Banwo said.
Speaking further, he added that OPANI will soon seek other legal and police actions on the issue, noting that, “Charity begins at home and those who have profited the most from the scam in collecting commissions from signing up unsuspecting members of the public NEED to refund part of the income earned and then help us go after the other nine action points.”
Emphasizing that topmost leaders and diamonds in OmegaPro Nigeria, cannot be allowed to keep proceeds of a scam, Mr Banwo noted that a dummy was sold to over 250,000 Nigerians and over 5 million people worldwide.
“Some of these top promoters collected a 10 per cent commission from OmegaPro as finders fee from the investment of every unsuspecting investor they referred to the scheme by selling it as a forex trading company.
“At the height of what has now proven to be a mega scam, several of these top agents and promoters earned over $50,000 weekly as finders’ fee, they collected commissions from 1000s of unsuspecting Nigerians whom they kept leading to believe that OmegaPro was a legit Forex Trading Company. They have to refund this money,” he added.
In 2022, OmegaPro was introduced into Nigeria with great fanfare and personal testimonials of their credibility by the likes of Onoja, Orunnipin, Ajibare, and other top-level MLM leaders despite the owners of the Dubai-based company having a documented history of previous involvements and indictments in several Ponzi MLM schemes where investors lost billions of Dollars.
Adedapo Adesanya