HealthPlus, a pharmaceutical company, has petitioned the Nigerian Police Force over an alleged physical assault on Bukky George, the company’s chief executive officer (CEO), by Chidi Okoro, chief transformation officer (CTO) of the company.
Okoro was also accused of seizing the company’s confidential documents and legal files without authorisation.
This was disclosed in a petition signed by Tolu Oni, legal head at HealthPlus, and addressed to Ahmed Iliyasu, assistant inspector general of police at Onikan, Lagos on Tuesday.
This is the third time that Alta Semper Capital, a private equity firm, has attempted to take over HealthPlus head office.
In September, the equity firm had attempted to take over HealthPlus bank accounts and offices.
Similarly, Okoro, who was appointed by Alta Semper, and Enerst Eguasa, HealthPlus chief financial officer, led some police officers to the pharmaceutical head office on November 10 in an attempt to seize control of the company systems.
The alleged assault was said to have followed an attempt by George to make a video recording of actions carried out by Okoro.
According to the petition, George phoned Tunde Awofeha, human resource manager of HealthPlus, to open the door in order to gain entrance into HealthPlus head office at 11B Victoria Abroieke street, Lekki, Lagos, as she and Oni were locked outside.
“When we entered, Awofeha said Okoro assaulted him by tugging at his shirt in an attempt to stop him from opening the door.
“Okoro, speaking to no one in particular, started screaming that ‘the CEO should never be allowed in the building’.”
Oni said she proceeded to the legal office where she met an “unknown” lady, two distribution centre (DC) assistants and a driver packing all the company’s legal files, however, was ignored when she asked who gave them the instruction.
“The CEO approached the entrance of the legal office and asked the DC assistant to stop. Okoro came and screamed that they should carry the bags out.
“At this point, the CEO started making a video with my phone. Okoro snatched the CEO’s phone from her and when she asked him to return her phone, he assaulted her by pushing her hard in the chest in the presence of several staff and security personnel.”
Oni further said on her way out of the building, she discovered that the DC staff were also moving cabinets containing confidential information out of the human resource office into a HealthPlus truck.
HealthPlus requested in the petition that Okoro be brought to book on the incidences of assault and also asked that the company documents be retrieved.
These attempts by Alta Semper contravenes a November 4 ruling by Oluremi Oguntoyinbo, judge of the federal high court in Lagos, who ordered all parties in the dispute to maintain status quo pending the determination of the motion before the court.
George had filed a suit with no. FHC/L/CS/609/2020 in May 2020 to challenge her removal as CEO announced by HealthPlus board of directors on September 25, 2020.