While many Nigerians are following the abduction of businessman and Jezco Group chairman Chief Joseph Ezeokafor, his daughter, Blessing Ezeokafor, has accused her younger brother, Eberechukwu Ezeokafor, popularly known as Jowizaza, of contributing to their father’s situation.
Blessing, reportedly the businessman’s first child, alleged that Jowizaza’s lavish lifestyle on social media made it appear that the family was extremely wealthy. She claimed this influenced the kidnappers to raise their ransom demand from ₦700 million to ₦1.5 billion.
In a series of social media posts, Blessing said the family was not as wealthy as her brother portrayed online and was already dealing with huge debts.
She also accused Jowizaza of running their father’s company into financial trouble before he was removed as a director and placed on a monthly salary of ₦1 million.
Blessing defended her decision to speak publicly, saying the seriousness of her father’s abduction left her with no choice.
According to her, Jowizaza agreed to pay the kidnappers ₦700 million, which she claimed caused them to increase the demand to ₦1.5 billion.
She also questioned how her brother could promise ₦700 million when he did not have N100 million in liquid cash.
“Why Jowizaza my brother? You are the cause of this madness. Social media noise, when we don’t have that money. You use audio money to make hudroms (hoodlums) think the money is available.
“Imagine, N1billion? If anything happens to my dad, I will hold you responsible. Making noise, when we are owing bank N40billion. And these people think the money is there, see what ur madness exposing has done to us.
“Fake life claiming what we don’t have. You are owing banks FCMB N40 billion, no hope to pay, you are owing union bank, you are struggling, even American company I introduced you guys Feedco, yet you keep making noise. Now your madness has made people think we have money,” she wrote. (sic)
Speaking to the kidnappers, she said: “Kidnappers they don’t have money, it is audio money, please leave my dad alone. Please release him, they are swimming in debt.”
In another post, she wrote: “Some idiot are saying I should not talk what I know.
“So you want those kidnappers to think we have money and refused to give them and kill him there? I will now become fatherless.
“At this point I need to talk so they can be talking reasonable of what we can provide. Dad needs his medication and I don’t want anything to happen to my dad.
“See coming to Facebook was the biggest mistake my brother made. We have simple life not exaggerating wealth. Any blogger that I see exaggerating (our wealth) again will have questions to answer.” (sic)
