Ponzi scheme: Hundreds of investors in shock as couple disappear with N22bn

A couple, identified as Bamise Samson Ajetunmobi and his wife, Elizabeth, have disappeared into thin air with investors N22billion.

The couple are said to be owners of Imagine Global Solutions (Imagine lenders) Investment Scheme. They are also said to be members of Daystar Christian Centre, where Bamise is said to be a bible masters class teacher.

Many distraught investors have taken to social media to express their shock and revealed how much they had invested. A particular investor is said to be suicidal.

Also, a WhatsApp group has been created whereby victims are urged to join and talk about their investments and how to track and locate the fleeing couple.

Some of the investors are said to be members of different churches in Nigeria, including Daystar Christian Centre and The Elevation Church (TEC). PiggyVest was also said to be a victim.  However, TEC and PiggyVest had promptly denied the allegation by coming out with statements.

Different people have taken to social media to reveal their ordeals.

One of them said his friend invested N20 million, asking how his friend could join the WhatsApp group for victims. Another investor stated that he invested N69.5million.

Another person said: “A friend’s company invested N1billion. And their office is currently locked. She told me this week, no trace of them yet.”

A woman mentioned that her husband invested almost N90million. Another woman stated her husband, who was a senior colleague to Bamise, when they were in Zenith bank, had invested almost N30million. While revealing that she knew many people who invested in Bamise scheme, added that Bamise, last week, stopped picking her husband’s phone calls.

She added: “One guy resigned from Zenith bank due to plenty returns he was getting from the investment, he raised N500million from different people. Now the guy has been suicidal….I heard they (Bamise and Elizabeth) bought a big house at Banana Island also.”

Latest information however has it that the couple, who has a home in highbrow Banana Island in Lagos State and known for going for expensive trips, has fled Nigeria. They are believed to be in the UK.

An Instagram user, @_trapselena_ alleged that Piggyvest and other top organisations in Nigeria invested in the company.   The user narrated, “Just like MMM, Muyiwa and Glory Osei, MBA, etc., another financial fraud couple has struck again. Nigerians will never learn. This couple Bamise and Elizabeth are currently on the run with monies of Nigerians running into billions. The man, a former staff of Zenith bank, operates a micro-lending platform for small and medium-scale traders. He collects money from investors, lends to the traders at 22 per cent interest, and then returns 10 per cent of the profit to investors monthly. The lady is one of the clique members of Naija brand chic them, and she runs a domestic staffing platform for hiring help. For the past couple of months, investors have neither seen their money nor heard from them. At this point now, both couple is in hiding and are possibly out of the country as they have investments outside Nigeria. They have a house in Dubai and one in the UK. Late last year, they bought citizenship to Antigua and Barbuda for themselves and two kids. The lady is enrolled in East London University UK. Major investors include Elevation church which gave them N500M. They attend Daystar Christian Centre where some of the money has been donated towards church programme. Total exposure from people that are known is currently to the tune of N22 billion, and more people are still coming out. There is an ongoing recovery WhatsApp group I hear is filling up, and they are being tracked in the UK as people have started filing with EFCC to connect with Interpol to fish them out.”

TEC’s statement signed by the lead pastor, Godman Akinlabi, reads in part: “This information is totally false. The Elevation Church has no such investment, whatever. From inception, as an institution, we set internal and external systems and processes that have allowed us to operate with high stands of financial probity and accountability, as faithful stewards under God. As the situation unfolds, it is also important to reiterate the criticality of not relying in social media as a credible or singular source of information. We will keep tracking the reports and will provide necessary updates that may be needed.”

Similarly, PiggyVest states: “No PiggyVest customer funds are in IMG. Customer funds are only invested in asset backed instruments like commercial papers, bonds, fixed income notes, etc. With over N250billion returned successfully to customers, PiggyVest has never and will never compromise the funds of any customer in anyway. All PiggyVest customers’ funds remain safe and secure as always.”

According to the spokesman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Wilson Uwujaren, he was not yet aware of the commission receiving any petition with respect to such a case.

Similarly, Daystar church has not issued any statement concerning church members being victims or allegations that Bamise is a member of the church.