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I’ve Never Met Benjamin Joseph, My Alleged Blackmailer – Ekeh, Zinox Boss

Chairman, Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh has cautioned contemporary African entrepreneurs to guard against a rising wave of corporate blackmail, even as he disclosed that he has never met one Benjamin Joseph, a fellow Igbo and owner of Citadel Oracle Concepts, a small Ibadan-based retail firm who has been in the news recently as standing prosecution for allegedly falsely accusing Mr. Ekeh and others as well as one of Ekeh’s companies of a N170m fraud.
Ekeh made this submission while addressing participants at the end of his final virtual mentorship project for 2022 with the theme – The Last Card – involving a cross-section of budding African entrepreneurs and post graduate scholars drawn from select foreign universities last Thursday. He had altered the earlier listed case study –“The emerging corporate miracle” to “ The Last Card” based on his current experience.
The Zinox Chairman’s comment comes even as lawyers from various backgrounds have continued to debate how Femi Falana, a popular Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) could have taken on a brief without carrying out due diligence into a case in which his client, the said Benjamin Joseph, has continued to sponsor a series of potentially defamatory media reports against Ekeh, despite having a subsisting N20m fine awarded against him by an Abuja court of competent jurisdiction for giving the Federal Government false information, while also facing another criminal charge for false petitioning before an FCT High Court in Abuja filed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) in which the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami had instructed the IGP and the courts to prosecute Mr. Benjamin Joseph to logical conclusion.
Also featuring at a recent discourse on the subject among the lawyers is how Falana failed to advise his client on the difference between a corporate and personal transaction. In law, there is a separation of personalities between corporations and their individual owners. The law separates two of them as different persons. So, a contract entered into by a company in its normal course of business cannot become the responsibility of a shareholder, especially when that shareholder is not in any way involved in the day-to-to running of the company. Anyone mixing up the two is only acting mischievously to achieve an ulterior motive, which includes embarrassing and blackmailing the shareholder.
Of great concern to the participating lawyers is a perceived attempt to destroy the reputation of a distinguished and humble African and one of Nigeria’s prides identified by President Obasanjo and honoured on October 1st 2001 as an Icon of Hope and a model for Nigerian youths.
Correspondingly, while addressing his audience on Thursday, October 6, 2022, Ekeh stated that today’s entrepreneurs must remain alive to the growing threat of blackmail in professional circles which he described as the fifth highest revenue earner globally. In addition, he added that in a case of corporate blackmail, there is often a ‘small masquerade’ involved.
‘‘This challenge is a good case study for upcoming African entrepreneurs. As businesses in Africa continue to take a hit from global economic crises – due to the lack of provisioning for tough times – the threat of corporate blackmail will increase for those of you in business. Doing business in Nigeria or Africa is not for cowards. You must prepare like someone going to the war front. If you have the will and capacity to succeed as an entrepreneur, you must be always aware and take measures to protect your business from corporate blackmail. Most times, it is the work of small competitors who wish to see you go down or who have a desire to rubbish your credit rating or public image.’’
Referencing his experience in the earlier mentioned case involving Benjamin Joseph, Ekeh added: ‘‘Corporate blackmail has grown exponentially in recent years and often, the end purpose is extortion. I can confirm to you that there is no court case or indictment against me or any of my colleagues or my wife either with the Police, EFCC or any court in Nigeria or abroad. I decided from the first day I started business to be a child of trust economy and delete passion for money but instead, hold on to my passion for technology and that informed me in seeing myself as an only child even though I have other five successful siblings.
‘‘I am my greatest adviser and never had a privilege of a mentor outside my tough British-trained mother and humble father who was an only child of his parents. I concentrate more on why brilliant, good and hardworking persons fail in business in Africa but succeed in civilized countries. This informed why I stayed with tech business 360 degrees as I am in total control and the business does not lie. It’s either you are right or wrong. Never concede to blackmailers. Be humble but launch out with confidence as far as you have content to deliver. Blackmailers don’t last in the business.
‘‘This is why my blackmailer failed because there is digitally undisputable proof. I run a tech family – my wife and all my five kids are in tech and comfortable. If you are in the tech business, wealth becomes a right, no matter how old we are. Rich guys in tech all over the world don’t make noise because there is no reason to do so. Successful entrepreneurs don’t make noise because they worked for it. It is not an inheritance,’’ Ekeh stated.
When asked by one of the participants on how to prevent or guard against corporate blackmail, Ekeh submitted that entrepreneurs must remain above board in their dealings, while also putting in efforts to investigate and understand where the threat is coming from.
‘‘It is your right to know and in future, I will tell the full story. You must embrace integrity and have well-defined processes and procedures guiding your business. It saves you a lot of headaches. But even when you have done your best in these areas, you may still be targeted. Therefore, you must investigate your accuser or blackmailer to fully understand what is at play. It could cost you some money, but technology has made it easier and could be a great lesson. I can tell you that staff of our Group learned a lot from this experience.
‘‘My blackmailer had claimed first that no computers were supplied to FIRS by my company on his behalf and in seconds, we produced original serial numbers and delivery note and they tallied with what FIRS received. Zero mistake. Later, he claimed he was not aware of the contract, and in seconds FIRS produced a letter of authority he issued to his partner, Princess Kama physically with a copy of his passport and he now agreed under oath.
‘‘He now claimed the account opened was forged and a forensic analysis report conducted by Police SFU confirmed that he indeed signed the Board resolution. My staff had nothing to do with opening of his bank account, but our system dictates that you do a Board resolution including two of our staff as majority signatories until we are paid and after the transaction is complete and we are paid, they will resign. We instituted this after few of such companies we funded defrauded us. We have a team of first-class lawyers and the tech to back up our structures and systems and we have done these for over 30 years. This Citadel case is the only blackmail we are tolerating. TD is the largest company in my Group and possibly in the IT Distribution sector in Africa and industry players know this. The N170m in question is an insult to TD and I am sure he knew before trying his luck with us.
‘‘We have enough to run all our companies globally. We may be a local company, but I have tried my little best based on some defined principles. I have never applied for overdraft in any bank, nor has any of my companies, not to talk about loan, so we are technically not desperate financially to cheat. When you are a child of trust economy, integrity is everything, so why do you have to borrow if you are trusted by your global partners and they extend any amount of credits to you? African entrepreneurs cannot scale in business pledging houses and share certificates as collateral to raise cash to do business. The financial institutions are ready to help but you have to earn their trust. When you make commitments, sweat and keep to them as your past transaction records have a lot to do with the decision to support you.
‘‘I have not taken alcohol or smoked from childhood and frankly I don’t know why, so, I don’t have bad dreams. I don’t have a single enemy in my life but you must run into storm sometimes, but never contain blackmailers. Even Benjamin Joseph shall become a born again soon and one of my best friends and I shall be glad to assist him in any little way. Life is very simple. But you must work hard to earn.
‘‘I only became aware of this particular case involving Benjamin Joseph and his company, Citadel Oracle Concepts two years after it started. It was a business transaction with Technology Distributions (TD) and did not, in any way involve Zinox. Yet, each time he goes to press, he mentions Leo Stan Ekeh and Zinox. TD is the pioneer and biggest distributors of tech products in Sub-Saharan Africa representing the biggest global brands in Africa. His mandate was to destroy my global credit rating so that our multinational partners could terminate relationships, but he failed. This is why I always advise entrepreneurs to build themselves as personal collateral during their incubation period and then their business as corporate collateral. In summary, be a child of trust economy and keep your word, and trust me, no person or financial institution can mess around with you. I am a living testimony and this is why I never sued Benjamin Joseph.
‘‘To start with, I have never met this man in my life. Neither has my wife met him in person. Even when he made attempts to meet with me, I rebuffed him because by that time, I had investigated him and discovered where he was headed. In tech business, we do not pay blackmailers because technology does not lie and that is the biggest mistake he has made in his life. Every lie he has told has been substantiated against him.
‘‘When he pressed on with his media campaign against me, I took the pains of hiring local and foreign detectives which cost me huge amount of money to investigate first my staff who handled the transaction, and then Benjamin Joseph, his company and his relationship with his partner, Princess Kama and her uncle, Chief Igbokwe and the discovery further strengthened my resolve not to engage him. Yes, it cost me big money, but it was money well spent. Remember, I mentioned there is often a small masquerade involved in such cases. I say small masquerade because someone bigger than you cannot spend his time blackmailing you for extortion.
‘‘If you have made up your mind to be a successful entrepreneur in Africa, you must be knowledge packed to alter your destiny positively, be ready to take pains before pleasure, implement auditable financial and legal structures backed with strong technology and most importantly, be spiritually strong. Most digital entrepreneurs in Africa fast more than most pastors in Africa. It is creative war like this that delays progress, but you will get there. These inconveniences shall gradually be deleted in the next ten years with the power of technology.
‘‘Blackmailers have, with the backing of some innocent press successfully destroyed our politicians, public office holders and their families as heads of criminal gangs, no matter how decent they are, and now they are gradually destroying wealth creators. Africa would be gone if they are allowed to succeed with our corporates,’’ the Zinox Chairman warned.
Furthermore, Ekeh shared some insights into the saga which has seen Benjamin Joseph facing an ongoing criminal trial for giving the Federal Government false information.
‘‘Benjamin Joseph’s company was among 13 others which TD Africa extended a credit facility to for supply of laptops to the FIRS. To guard against creditors making away with funds extended to them, TD insists on opening a joint account with each creditor so that they are fully aware of when the fund for the contract is paid. After he was paid, Joseph attempted to divert TD’s money but his partner, one Princess Kama refused. From my investigations, he (Joseph) had wanted to marry her but they could not agree.
‘‘However, when she objected to his attempt to divert the funds, Joseph petitioned the Police and EFCC, initially claiming that his company was fraudulently used to execute the contract without his knowledge and that nothing was supplied. This was despite the fact that he gave his partner a duly signed letter of authority and his passport to act on his behalf in executing the FIRS contract. But investigations revealed that the FIRS confirmed that all the laptops were supplied with the serial numbers intact.
‘‘He later fell out with his partner over profit sharing for the contract which Afe Babalola SAN, his lawyer at the time intervened but could not resolve. According to Princess Kama, Mr. Benjamin Joseph demanded all the profit from the business and the lady refused. If he was not aware and his company was fraudulently used to execute the contract and his signature was forged as he claimed, why was he later asking for a larger share of the proceeds?’’ Ekeh queried.
In conclusion, while advising his audience to learn from his experience and never give in to cheap blackmail, he stated that cowards don’t succeed in Africa as entrepreneurs, even as he expressed confidence that the course of justice would eventually be done in the matter.
Broadcasting
IFC, AfDB Collaborate with EbonyLife Media to Explore Supporting the African Film Industry to Drive Job Creation

As part of their ongoing efforts to support the growth of Africa’s creative industries and drive job creation in the region, IFC and the African Development Bank have announced a collaboration with EbonyLife Media, Nigeria’s leading media company, to explore the conditions for the creation of a pan-African investment vehicle targeted at the region’s film sector.
The aim is to improve access to financing for productions that promote original African stories around the world. EbonyLife Media has built a reputation for bringing compelling African narratives to global audiences through innovative storytelling.
The company has produced some of the highest-grossing movies in the region and enjoys strategic collaborations with global media companies, including Sony Pictures Television, Westbrook Studios, Starz, Macro Film Studios and Idris Elba’s 22 Summers.
This effort is in line with IFC’s strategy to expand Africa’s creative industries, recognizing the sector’s potential to drive job creation – especially for youth – promote inclusive narratives, and stimulate economic growth across emerging markets.
Despite the growth of film production across the continent over the last few years, Africa’s film sector remains untapped. According to UNESCO, the sector currently supports approximately 5 million jobs and contributes $5 billion to the continent’s GDP.
However, the industry faces significant challenges that inhibit its growth potential, including persistent financing gaps, policy barriers and lack of a robust intellectual property regulatory framework and implementation, which results in up to 50 percent revenue loss to piracy by film producers in the region.
In this context, IFC, AfDB and Ebony Life are exploring ways in which they can crowd in more capital into African film productions and support the expansion of the film industry at scale in the continent, while working with governments to introduce protection of intellectual property and film incentives, essential to strengthen the economics of film production in the continent.
“Africa’s creative economy is a cultural asset and an engine for inclusive growth, youth employment, and global influence. Through this partnership, we aim to unlock new capital for the continent’s storytellers, helping them bring authentic African voices to international platforms while boosting job creation in one of the most dynamic sectors of the future,” said Dahlia Khalifa, Regional Director for Central Africa and Anglophone West Africa at IFC.
Ousmane Fall, The African Development Bank Group’s Director for Private Sector Operations, said: “This collaboration reflects the African Development Bank Group’s growing interest in creative industries as a growth sector supporting entrepreneurship and job creation for young people and women in Africa.
“By joining forces with EbonyLife, Nigeria’s premium media conglomerate, and IFC, a like-minded DFI institution, we are seeking to support the creation of a sustainable investment vehicle for film production in Africa”.
“This has been a long time coming. For nearly two years, I’ve been quietly laying the groundwork—defining and building an ecosystem designed to scale, to unlock opportunity, and to provide the vital capital African filmmakers need to create stories that resonate across borders and generations.
“Today, I am thrilled and deeply proud to welcome the IFC and AfDB on this journey. Together, we will identify ways in which we can catalyze a new era of African storytelling that can thrive on the global stage” said Mo Abudu, CEO, EbonyLife Media.
Broadcasting
Prioritising Security: The Bedrock of Stronger Workplace Collaboration in Nigeria

By Kehinde Ogundare, Country Head, Zoho Nigeria
In Nigeria’s dynamic and often demanding business landscape, robust workplace collaboration is no longer a luxury—it is a necessity for sustainable growth and resilience. As per a study, 86% of employees believe that a lack of collaboration can lead to workplace failures; its significance cannot be overstated. As enterprises in 2025 increasingly adopt digital tools to enhance teamwork, one critical foundation must support this transformation: unwavering security.
Today, the need to prioritise security goes far beyond protecting sensitive data. It is about fostering trust and laying a solid foundation upon which effective, innovative collaboration can thrive—especially in an era marked by ever-evolving cyber threats.
Security: The Hidden Pillar of Effective Collaboration
Collaboration flourishes in an environment grounded in confidence and safety. When employees trust that their tools are secure against the sophisticated cyber threats of 2025, they are more likely to share information freely and engage deeply. A secure environment nurtures the psychological safety required for open and meaningful contribution.
Conversely, environments that lack adequate security measures not only deter open collaboration but also expose businesses to data breaches, operational disruptions, and the erosion of client and stakeholder trust—risks no forward-thinking enterprise can afford.
Therefore, security must be treated as a core strategic priority rather than an afterthought. This involves implementing best practices such as strict data access controls based on the principle of least privilege and comprehensive data protection measures—encryption, vulnerability management, and safeguarding data at rest, in transit, and in use. Such a commitment becomes the foundation for enduring, high-performing collaboration.
Integrated Platforms: Enabling Secure, Seamless Collaboration
Striking the right balance between agile collaboration and stringent security requires a deliberate, policy-driven approach. Nigerian businesses should adopt integrated platforms where security is built into the very core of the solution. These platforms offer a unified environment for communication, project management, and data sharing—underpinned by a comprehensive data security policy that includes clear protocols for data handling, processing, and privacy.
Here, the value of an all-in-one, inherently secure software suite becomes evident. Solutions that are both affordable and designed with embedded security features empower businesses to protect critical data while facilitating efficient teamwork. Features like data classification, minimal storage of sensitive information, and built-in compliance tools ensure that security is always active—shielding organisations from complex modern threats.
Moreover, these platforms streamline communication and task management, reducing meetings considered ineffective. By providing coordination and information flow, they foster stronger collaboration and drive sustainable growth in Nigeria’s competitive market.
Building a Secure Future for Collaboration
The path to truly collaborative workplaces begins with an unshakable commitment to security. It is an investment that yields significant returns in the form of increased efficiency, stronger team cohesion, and increased stakeholder trust.
For business leaders, the mandate is clear: make security an integral, non-negotiable element of your collaboration strategy. Doing so not only protects your present operations from an increasingly hostile cyber landscape but also establishes a resilient foundation for future innovation and growth.
The future of work in Nigeria is undoubtedly collaborative. Its long-term, however, will be determined by how securely that collaboration is built and maintained.
Broadcasting
CCPT Dismisses Class Action Suit against MultiChoice over Tariff Hikes

Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT) in Abuja has dismissed a class action suit filed by one Uche Diala and 961 other DStv and GOtv subscribers against MultiChoice Nigeria and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), citing lack of jurisdiction.
The suit challenged MultiChoice’s subscription price increases in November 2023 and May 2024, which the claimants described as arbitrary, exploitative, and unfair.
Diala and others sought to reverse the hikes and compel the company to adopt a more flexible billing model, such as a pay-as-you-view system used in other countries like South Africa.
They also accused MultiChoice of price discrimination against Nigerian consumers.
MultiChoice, through its counsel, raised a preliminary objection, arguing that pricing decisions do not fall within the tribunal’s remit and that the suit was improperly filed as a class action without first seeking the tribunal’s leave.
In its ruling on Thursday, the tribunal’s three-member panel led by Justice Thomas Okosun held that the core issues raised, which were pricing and tariff regulation, fall under the exclusive purview of the executive branch, particularly the President, as stipulated under the Price Control Act.
“The issue of price regulation is a matter that falls within the exclusive purview of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Okosun stated.
While the tribunal acknowledged it holds both original and appellate jurisdiction under the FCCPC Act, it emphasized that such authority does not cover general price control unless abuse of market dominance is established—a point the claimants failed to prove.
On the procedural matter of filing a class action without prior approval, the tribunal noted that although it is ideal to obtain leave, failure to do so was not fatal in this instance since the claimants demonstrated a shared grievance and common interest.
Nonetheless, the tribunal upheld MultiChoice’s objection, ruling that it lacked jurisdiction to adjudicate the matter.
“The preliminary objection of the first defendant succeeds,” the panel held. “This suit is accordingly struck out for want of jurisdiction.”
This ruling follows a similar outcome on May 8, when a Federal High Court in Abuja upheld MultiChoice’s price increases after the company sued the FCCPC.
In that judgment, Justice James Omotoso declared that the FCCPC lacked the authority to fix or suspend subscription rates.
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