Ohiri Vs Umahi: Lawyer Says Businesswoman Lied, No Contract Evidence, Threatens Legal Action

A human rights lawyer and activist, Marshal Abubakar, has accused Ms Tracy Ohiri of spreading falsehood regarding her dispute with the Minister of Works, David Umahi.

Abubakar, in a statement on Thursday, insisted that he and other activists played a key role in preventing Ohiri from being jailed during the controversy.

The lawyer said he rallied prominent activists and public figures to support Ohiri at the height of the dispute, emphasising that their intervention was aimed at safeguarding free speech.

Among those he mentioned were Senator Ireti Kingibe, activist Martins Otse (VeryDarkMan), and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, alongside other campaigners.

“My attention has been drawn to the falsehood being spewed by Ms Tracy Ohiri,” Abubakar said.

“Indeed, the fact that you helped a viper out of a ditch doesn’t stop the snake from biting you. It’s an undeniable fact that I was the person that rallied public-spirited individuals like Distinguished Senator Ireti Kingibe, VeryDarkMan, Comrade Omoyele Sowore, FlagboyNg, Comrade Larry and several other comrades to her aid.”

“It was on account of our continuous activism that Ms Ohiri is not in prison today,” Abubakar said.

Abubakar disclosed that he led a team of activist lawyers to secure bail for Ohiri in court, despite what he described as efforts to have her remanded in prison.

He noted that there was a prolonged standoff before bail was eventually perfected.

According to him, Senator Kingibe attempted to mediate between Ohiri and Umahi, but the minister maintained that he was not indebted to her.

He said: “I spoke to Senator Umahi with Mummy Ireti’s phone and he was adamant. He promised he would exhaust the full judicial process to clear his name and promised to pay her in ten folds if the court ruled that he owes her, but unless that, she would face the full wrath of the law.”

Abubakar said he subsequently discussed the situation with Ohiri and presented her with two options: continue the legal fight or explore settlement.

“When I spoke with her, I explained the entire situation to her and explained that she has two options; she either fights on or explores settlement. If she elects to fight on, we would fight with her but she must provide necessary evidence on core issues.”

The lawyer claimed that his review of the case revealed no concrete evidence supporting Ohiri’s claims.

“I discovered that there was no single real evidence of any contractual agreement between her and the minister, that there was no evidence that the minister ever engaged her to do any contract and that there was no evidence that the minister ever informed her that what happened to the NELAN Engineers would happen to her,” Abubakar stated.

He also alleged that Ohiri failed to provide proof of delivering goods as claimed.

Abubakar said a follow-up meeting involving lawyers, associates of the minister, and Ohiri ended in a stalemate after tensions escalated.

“We had a follow-up meeting with the minister’s lawyer, Mr Abdul SAN, the minister’s friend Barrister Joseph Ekumankama, Senator Ireti, Ms Tracy, her husband and I, Marshal Abubakar, in attendance,” he said.

“The meeting ended in a stalemate. Ms Ohiri has a terrible temper and manner; she threw tantrums and insults at everyone in that meeting, thus it ended on a sour note. We all left.”

He alleged that Ohiri later apologised and sought further assistance after the meeting collapsed.

The lawyer further claimed that a sum of $70,000 was provided by an associate of the minister, Barrister Joseph Ekumankama, as a gesture to resolve the dispute.

He insisted the payment was not compensation or an admission of liability but meant to facilitate peace.

“It was Barrister Joseph that gave me a total sum of $70,000 to give to her,” Abubakar said.

“He informed me that it’s not compensation for any contract neither was it admission that they were owing her but just for the sake of peace and my mediating approach to the issue.”

“Barrister Joseph Ekumankama is still alive and can be contacted for verification,” he said.

Abubakar accused Ohiri of later turning against those who supported her, alleging she demanded ₦300 million and threatened to launch an online campaign against him.

He said: “Her anger is that I could not get ₦300,000,000 for her. I explained to her that her initial claim was for ₦25 million. ₦100million is far above that and even a court of law would most likely not award her that much, even if she could establish her claim.”

“She promised to drag my name online unless I meet them to pay her ₦300,000,000 and that she had lost business thus I must be held responsible and must provide her money,” he alleged.

Expressing disappointment, the lawyer described the situation as a “painful lesson” and hinted at possible legal action.

“It’s so sad that a woman we put in our best defending, at the expense of our lives and liberty, could turn out to be this. We befriended a scorpion and got a life lesson,” he said.

“I will surely appraise the situation and take appropriate legal actions against Ms Ohiri,” he said.