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Maxwell Eyerakpo, a professional footballer who plays for the National team of Vietnam and also Ninh Thuận fc club has cried out over the sale of his Range Rover sport car in his absence.
The footballer said his Range Rover with registration number SKL111FN, engine number 10017B105 and chasis number SALSH234X7106671 was allegedly sold by his friend, Evelyn Opako.
He spoke in an exclusive interview with OgunWatch.
Narrating his ordeal, he said “In the year 2022 I left my Range Rover sport car in Nigeria and I travelled to Vietnam where I work. I’m a professional football player so I left my documents with Mr Osaigbovo Ekairia John, a human rights activist whom I have known for over two years in Nigeria.
“So while I was there I placed my Range Rover sport car for sale and a friend of mine Evelyn Opako called me that she had a friend interested in buying the car, but the buyer on checking the car complained about the battery and tyre so I discussed with Evelyn and she agreed to help me fix it.
“The activist dropped the photocopy of my documents with Evelyn because I knew her down to her family and after some days she told me another buyer was interested but offered a ridiculous amount, I refused and told her to leave it that when I am back to Nigeria I will do the selling myself and she she agreed.
“But in the month of October I tried to contact her and when I did her numbers were not going through even when I dropped a text she wouldn’t respond too. So in the month of November, I came back to Nigeria and I called the numbers again. Still, it wasn’t going through so I called Mr. John to accompany me to Evelyn’s family house.
“On getting there we found her mother and after narrating everything she said called her. The mother called her with a different number and she spoke to the mother telling her that she will call me just that she has been busy and her numbers are switched off. So she called with the same numbers and has been trying to reach her on which has been switched off.
“She claimed she sold my car and used money for statistics and I was surprised and said how did you sell the car without the original papers. She said I shouldn’t worry about that because she knows how she did it.
“I told her I don’t understand what she’s saying and she hung up on me. So I begged her mother ‘ please help me talk to your daughter because she sold my car and she’s running away, can you please call her and let her know that she have to refund my car to me, the mother said okay that she will talk to the father and see what they can do about that .
“So I asked the human right activist that what we can do and he suggested we report at the nearest police station so we went to a police station at Ebrumede Warri Delta state and we laid a complaint and they asked for the original document which we presented including all the details of the car and the names of the lady then they collected a sum of fifty thousand naira( N50,000) from me.
“ So we left the police station, on our way back the human right activist (John) told me that we have to go to another station which is Area Command at Warri, that he has a friend there named officer Tony and that he would be helpful to search for her,so I agreed and followed him. When we got there we met officer Tony and we narrated everything to him, he assured us that since we had all necessary documents there was no problem and that he would collect some amount of money. He collected Fifty thousand naira (N50,000) from me too so I asked John if that was all we had to do and he said yes and we left.”
Eyerakpo narrating his encounter with the police also disclosed how the alleged Evelyn who was later arrested escaped the police custody.
“On getting home I called a friend of mine based in Benin and told him to come over that I was having some issues here about my car missing and need him around, when he came he said ‘Max let’s go back to the area she lives I know the chairman of the area, so when we go there we asked of him and was given his number so we called and he came and we narrated everything to him.
“The chairman took us to the girl’s family’s house, where we met only the mother so the mother said that her daughter wasn’t around and the chairman told the mother that he wanted to see the daughter in the next 24 hours. After that, the chairman asked me to go home and he’ll get back to me when the time comes.
“ So the next day the chairman asked me to come to the area at about 12pm and I called my friend to accompany me to the place. We were sitting at a restaurant, then we saw Evelyn’s family coming out of the house. So, the grandmother saw me and came to harass me so I walked away. Her brother also came and people around were watching them, I didn’t respond to them.
“Then the chairman suggested that we go to the family and I agreed. Reaching the family’s house, we sat down and they asked her to explain what happened. She now explained and the chairman said she should tell them where the car is and she couldn’t respond.
“I had previously informed the human rights activist that we were going to the girl’s house so he should inform Officer Tony to mobilize his boys to make the arrest. When they came, they arrested her and took her to the station where she slept for two days because she didn’t have anyone to bail her.
“On the third day, she came with a lawyer and an old man. Tony was not accepting the old man to stand in for the bail. Tony then called me into his office with the human rights activist and my lawyer we were discussing. Then the IPO came in and said he didn’t see the girl and her lawyer adding that the girl was to be charged to court that day. I was furious but the human right told me to be patient and after a while, the police officer told me to go home saying he’ll call me tomorrow.
“So at Zone 5, a police officer called me to ask how everything was going and I told him it’s still the same so he suggested he has a lawyer who can help, he asked i write a petition and send to my lawyer to go through it in case there is a need for amendment which I did and he said that the arrest will be from Abuja and will cost Two hundred thousand naira (N200,000). I raised the money and I sent it to the lawyer he introduced me to in Warri who claimed after receiving the money that he was very busy at the moment and would attend to me after one weeks. After one weeks I called back and he said he wanted to do a tracking of Evelyn and not an arrest. He said that was going to be the best way I frowned and later agreed because I felt they know how best to handle the situation.
“After tracking her he claimed that she was in Benin and I told him to tell the policeman at Zone 5 , he said no that the tracking wasn’t showing the girl’s exact location.
“Then I suggested maybe we should arrest the surety in Benin and he agreed then he asked me to give him some days which I did and on calling him after he was just screaming at me and shouting saying I was disturbing him and he wanted to drop that case because I want to but his life at risk too.
“ I called the police officer at Zone 5 who spoke to him and he promised to go that Friday. After that day I tried calling him again but he’s number was switched off I called someone close to him and the person claimed that the lawyer is angry over my continuous disturbance so I told him not to worry any more but to provide me with my document and my money and he said he has done a lot already and would remove his bills and I agreed and he removed one hundred thousand naira from it and my brother went to get my papers for me.
“Till date I haven’t seen my car, the police, the activist, and even Tony are just collecting money from me. They don’t want me to do the transfer, they always insist on collecting cash and yet all I get is stories.”
He however called on security agencies and the Delta state government to come to his aid and assist him in reclaiming his car.
“I am calling on the attention of the Inspector General of Police, commissioner of police Edo state and Delta state , the EFCC and the governor of Delta state His Excellency Sheriff Francis Oborevwori to please look into this”
When contacted, the Delta Police Command Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe claimed that he was unaware of the case, but promised to look into it.
