Things began to fall apart for Mercy Okenwa on October 30, when her boss, Charles Obinna, instructed her to terminate another employee’s appointment. Naturally, she did as she was instructed and sacked Aliyu (not real name), who worked the grills at Wine Nations – Okenwa’s workplace. She had just assumed work as a human resources executive a month before that time.

According to Okenwa, she was shocked at the instructions to fire the grill person. Her ‘HR training’, as she called it, recommends a more formal approach to ending appointments. However, that was not her biggest surprise for the day. It was what followed.

“I had decided to learn the ropes of the organisation and see what would work. I had never learned to fire someone like that without due process. But that was not the most shocking part that day. A few moments after I had off-boarded the suya guy, my boss’s wife barged into the office aggressively,” said Okenwa.

“She raised her voice at me and asked why I fired her staff. She was the one who directly employed the grill guy. I told her this instruction was given to me by the MD, her husband, and that I acted based on instructions.”

Okenwa also accused Obinna Juliet, her boss’s wife, of physical assault, threat, and intrusion of privacy. According to her, it took all she had to avoid assault after Juliet confronted her.

“She came close to me and wanted to slap me. My colleague said I shouldn’t retaliate, so I respected her and went out of the office. I wanted the heat to cool off. This woman followed me to the toilet and hit the door to bring me out and beat me up. I had to notify the facility manager downstairs to come help me out.”

Okenwa’s narration of that Monday’s event climaxed at the beginning of her current predicament. She told FIJ that Juliet had gone to her office to pick up her phone and some of her personal belongings.

“When I was eventually leaving the toilet, she had gone to the office, picked up my phone (iPhone 11 pro) and taken it upstairs. I sighted her with my phone going upstairs. She quickly took it upstairs, rushed downstairs to assault me, poured water on me and threatened me with a rod. Even when I told people to record, no one answered me. Soon, I realised that my phone wasn’t all she took. My driver’s licence was also missing.”

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THE MANAGING DIRECTOR’S MEDIATION

After what played out in the early hours of October 30, Okenwa informed her boss, Obinna, of the situation. According to her, she had stepped out to call her employer when she was sure of her safety on the office premises.

“After the heat cooled off a bit,. I called the MD to report to him. I borrowed another staff’s phone number to call him and narrated everything to him. He told me to remain calm. He said he’d rectify everything and instructed me to meet him at the second office at Dolphins,” Okenwa continued.

“I think he made a call because she returned my bag. She had taken my bag, my purse, my driver’s licence and my phone. She only returned the bag; my driver’s licence and my phone were not returned to me.”

“I told my boss that I would not leave without my personal effects. He told me not to worry and that he would collect it for me. He insisted I meet him at the second office in Dolphins Estate. I went to meet him. But instead of rectifying everything the same day, he told me to go home and promised me he’d sort it.”

At this point in Okenwa’s interview, her narration was punctuated with regular sighs of exasperation. She believed that the outcome would have been different if she had insisted on getting her belongings back the same day. Okenwa said that the singular step of resignation started a cascade of failed promises and dramatic events.

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“I think I should have insisted that day. Because after that, my boss travelled and he did not return until the Thursday of the same week. However, until the end of that week, despite consistently reminding my boss, nothing changed.”

“A week later, when I became tired of begging, I had to involve the police. I think that geared my boss into action. He asked me why I had to involve the police. He also asked to settle that matter amicably.”

“On November 14, he called me and the colleague who witnessed when my boss’s wife picked up my phone. He even informed me that my phone was not locked when she picked it up. This colleague had already told me that he had seen her pick up the phone. However, when we got to the MD, he denied it.”

During the November 14 meeting, Obinna made a revelation that indicted his wife; it was a revelation that he would also later deny.

“In the process of the meeting, the MD told me that his wife accused me of gossiping about her. He said that she had read my chats with other employees and she was angry,” Obinna said.

He also told me that I was supposed to mind my business at work instead of gossiping about his wife. He told me that his wife was very upset with me. It was after this meeting that my appointment was terminated.”

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POLICE INVOLVEMENT

In her interview, Okenwa explained how, even with police involvement, Obinna and his wife delayed returning her things. According to her, Obinna and his wife influenced the police to opt for a friendly resolution. She also claimed that they were biased.

“The first time I involved the police, a week after the incident, they had invited her over to their station on the Friday of the week I reported her. She excused herself by saying that she was not in town. She said she would come down to the station the following Monday.”

After waiting for more than a week, the police had to make the move to arrest her. It was a slight chase because she kept dodging them until they blocked her and arrested her.

Again, she denied being with my phone. She stalled for days. The third week she was supposed to show up, she claimed she was not feeling fine. Also, the police people seemed to be supporting them. All of what they said in their attempt at a resolution, including the DPO involved, sounded like I made this story up. It was annoying.”

Eventually, I took the matter to the office of the Public Defender in Ajah because I was not getting any justice at Area Command. They sent her an invitation to Ajah, and her husband.”

She came alone, and they tried to resolve the matter amicably. They concluded that I should apologise to her, despite getting instructions from my boss directly. They said the matter would be resolved fully if the both of us came back the day after.”

However, she still denied being with my phone and personal belongings the following day. At that time, they had not paid my salary for October also. The husband promised to pay and instructed me to come and confirm the receipt of my salary.”

They deliberately sidestepped the conversation about my devices and personal belongings. My driver’s licence is a personal document. I had also just bought the phone 10 months before then. It was also very expensive.

“I don’t even want anything to do with them. I don’t want damages or anything. I just need them to return my phone and my driver’s licence. It’s that simple. This thing has got to me. I just need all the help I can get.”

It is also so annoying that everyone keeps telling me to apologise when I was the one that experienced assault. I was the one who lost my devices and my driver’s licence. I don’t understand it.”

She had insisted to them that I was at fault and I didn’t carry her along. Her husband is my boss. Also, her husband had instructed us to be confidential on some decisions. I was new in the company. I didn’t ask to be in the middle of a couple’s quarrel.”

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SHE IS MAKING THESE THINGS UP — Juliet Obinna

FIJ called Charles Obinna and his wife between December 20 and 23. FIJ was eventually able to reach Juliet. When FIJ asked her about the situation, she denied holding any of her belongings, apparently unaware of the existence of an audio in which her husband acknowledged that the phone was with her and promised to retrieve it for Okenwa.

“I do not have her item. We didn’t struggle. She didn’t give any of her items to me,” Juliet started.

“When I walked up to her to ask why she fired an employee without consent, this lady insulted me, as a matter of fact. She embarrassed me, she humiliated me. But of course, as a good civilian, I don’t have to go back and forth with her.”

“If she had come to you and told you I have her item, I am telling you, I do not have any of her items. We didn’t struggle. I didn’t snatch it from her.

“We even have a case against her. She has to provide proof that I took her item. What proof does she have? Even at the police station, she could not provide proof. She has to provide witnesses. She could not.

“My dear, there was no assault. This lady fired a boy I had brought to work. I had brought this from Ibadan to work. I saw that he is young and intelligent. So I brought him to work. I had him rewrite his WAEC. I kept him at the company so that he would further his education next year.

“How dare she fire this person? The boy is directly under me; I pay him. And as a matter of fact, my husband did not even issue such instructions to her to fire him. I was in my office; she didn’t inform me. She asked the young boy out without consulting me. It is not her right. When I asked her, she just snubbed me. She started laughing at me and she eventually walked away. That was what happened. I was so mad.

“She went to the toilet. I knocked at the toilet door to get her to respond before I left the place. That was all. There was no assault, nothing more. I don’t have any of her items.”

FIJ has tried to reach out to Obinna Charles, the owner of Wine Nation, on several occasions. On January 25, Obinna responded to FIJ and promised to reach out.

However, up until press time, Obinna had not returned FIJ’s calls. FIJ sent a follow-up text to Obinna on January 26. The text has not been responded to as of press time.

Meanwhile, Okenwa insisted that they have her phone. She provided an audio record of her conversation with Obinna, her former boss, to back up her claims.

Okenwa claimed that Obinna would not scold her because of her messages if he and his wife didn’t have her phone and looked through it. She insisted that she was ready to go through any legal means to seek redress and retrieve her items from the couple if need be.