UNBELIEVABLE: Nollywood's Emeka Ike charged with fraud

Nollywood Actor Emeka Ike & the local football team



The reported Prize money cheque that bounced

Nigerian Telegraph reported some weeks ago about the controversy surrounding a football competition organised by Nollywood actor, Emeka Ike. Tagged ‘Emeka Ike Desert Competition, the actor had promised cash prizes of
N500,000,
N100,000 and
N75,000 to the first, second and third positions respectively.It was gathered that the actor paid the 2nd- and 3rd-place winners but has allegedly refused to pay the
N500,000 to the team (Golden Star) that came first place after the cheque he gave them bounced.

After several attempts by the team to settle the case between both parties, they decided to go public and also involved a lawyer.
With the intervention of the team’s lawyer, Emeka Ike promised to pay the money by the first week in July even after he refused to pay as promised on previous appointments fixed for May 2, May 14, May 26 and June 11.
July 1 went by with Ike still not paying the half-a-million naira cash prize he owes Golden Star.
On his part, the actor claims that the team is being used against him by Nollywood colleagues to ensure his removal as sports ambassador for Rhythm ‘N’ Play, a youth-oriented grass-roots sports programme initiated by the Federal Government.
Golden Star’s lawyer served Ike with a letter on June 17, giving him a 14-day ultimatum to pay up or face the wrath of the law.
The actor, however, did not fulfil his own side of the bargain but rather sued the team for defamation on July 31, 2013.
When the Golden Star’s head coach, Mr Afolabi Thomas appeared in court in the company of his lawyer and a representative of the John-Okeke-owned blog, Entparrort.com, which published the story, thugs suspected to have been hired by Emeka Ike showed up claiming that the actor would not appear before the court until reporters vacated the premises.
After waiting outside the courtroom for some time, the coach was called back in but Ike’s counsel still insisted that his client would not appear before the panel.
Following the court’s insistence, however, the actor eventually showed up and was advised him to pay the money owed Golden Star, especially as he could not establish a case of defamation against the football team as claimed by his lawyers.
Ike, however, remained adamant in his refusal to pay, saying that Golden Star’s coach and the team’s lawyer should retract their earlier statement from social media or face a
N20 million suit for defamation.
The team itself refused to budge on its claims that Ike simply used the tournament he hosted in a bid to be made sports ambassador for the federal government youth sports initiative. They promised to involve the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest the actor for issuing a dud cheque.
The case has been adjourned till September 18 for further hearing.