…They are using the platform to dupe Nigerians – Bisola
…7 Star Global doesn’t have firm structure – MD Olofin MFB
…AY Comedian is involved – Anonymous
A Limited Liability Company 7 Star Global Hanger Limited the parent company of 7-Star Global Private Jet Service and Microfinance Bank Plc has been accused of scamming Nigerians and not refunding travellers who paid for a chartered flight to Canada from Nigeria.
This allegation was contained in documents made available to worldtopnewsng.com by the travellers’ counsel, Kayode Oyemakinde, of The Alêxis Law Practice indicated the companies promised a full refund on cancellation.
The journey according to information at worldtopnewsng.com disposal was scheduled to depart Lagos on Sunday, 26th July, 2020 via Abuja-Toronto-Newark with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Code: LOS-ABV-YYZ-EWR.
7-Star Global Private Jet and Olofin MFB were to lift the travellers via Spanish carrier, WAMOS Air, with the aircraft A330-200, Pax 300, flight EB 96.
One of the travellers in an exclusive interview with a Social Commentator and Public Affairs Analyst Jumu’ah Abiodun stated that the said flight was cancelled twice, the first was on Friday, 31st July 2020 where they were held in limbo.
She explained further that they were abandoned without water, food nor accommodation, which against international aviation practices.
The travelers names withheld all paid $1,375, N4,500, N70,553, N623,250, N650,950, N650,950, N623,250, N533,250, N533,250, N62,100 to 7 Star Global Hanger Limited account.
One of the travellers who identified herself as Bisola narrated her ordeal to worldtopnewsng.com. She said: “At the end of June there was an advertisement about repatriation flight to Canada for Canadians stranded in Nigeria, somehow, I got the link on WhatsApp and I joined the group, they said it was $1385 for one way flight back to Canada so everyone was excited.”
“I think what excites everyone was the fact that it was a direct flight to Canada, that there is no layover direct flight 13 hours, it was fine so everyone deposited the money into Olofin Microfinance Bank. For me, I deal with the dollar account provided for us because it makes so much sense for me so I asked my friend to wire transfer from New York, the United States for the flight.”
“After they received the money, within 24-48 hours they said that I need to pay an additional $10 or thereabout even though she has paid for all the fees from the US but not to get any delay I sent extra N4,500.”
“We were supposed to depart on the 26th of July from Lagos, Nigeria. We don’t get any type of email correspondent, so on the 22nd July, they just sent us WhatsApp messages, there’s a lady on the WhatsApp group, she always says, I’m a passenger like you guys all the time, but later we found out that she wasn’t a passenger because she did not even get on the plane, we then discovered she was working closely with them.”
Another passenger who didn’t want her name mentioned because of her profile narrated how she got to involve in the dubious act after she read the plan on AY Comedian Instagram handle. She said: “Earlier in July when the Federal Government and Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 announced the resumption of local flight in Nigeria. By then people were seeking how to secure flights out of Nigeria to their respective base and those of us that our visa expiration is near and the whole process of getting another visa will be very difficult. Almost all of us who booked with 7 Star Global already booked with other commercial airlines such as Ethiopia Airline, Air France/KLM, Lufthansa and the rest but earlier in the year because of the global lockdown caused by the novel Coronavirus pandemic all these airlines sent us email cancelling the flights so we then look for an alternative.”
“So suddenly we got a notification of a company called 7 Star Global on AY Comedian handle, so we got information that there’s a chartered flight in conjunction with Olofin Microfinance Bank and also Ooni of Ife is involve. We were told Ooni has dropped N100 million. They called this humanitarian flight but by the time you make further inquiries you understand that you are required to pay money, because if you call something humanitarian by the word humanitarian you are not supposed to make any payment.
“They advertised this, AY Comedian assisted them in duping Nigerians so it was almost the same time Nigerians in Canada was also organizing flight for July 19, the arrangement was to bring people from Newark to Lagos then Lagos to Toronto then Newark, they incorporated Abuja people that they will arrange a flight to bring them to Lagos then everyone will fly from Lagos. Some of us already dropped resignation letters in our respective offices, the painful aspect is their medium of sending messages is through the WhatsApp which sounds dubious.”
“A day before, they said the flight could not leave the US as planned, it was cancelled because most of us paid in naira, despite they used N450 to a dollar as the exchange rate of what we paid for, that there’s no enough foreign exchange to pay the airline as promised by a bank, so that caused a delay and is going to be sorted now that they got another from the bank so the flight to leave again July 31st, so many people complain, but we felt it’s just matter of four more days.”
“One of the group’s admin Shola Agboola sent an annoying message to the group thanking Ooni of Ife, that without him the flight wouldn’t have been possible when they did not even fly us, without addressing the issues, they are confirmed, thieves. When people have not even got to their final destination, we haven’t gotten our refund and there’s already an article extolling Ooni of Ife, very annoying, meanwhile, people paid a hefty sum.”
“They cancelled the flight twice, I can’t risk the expiration of my visa for their dubious act. They even said airspace was closed on Friday due to Eid-el-Kabir, you can now see that they are thieves.”
Confirming the development on how his bank involved in the incident, Managing Director, Olofin Microfinance Bank, Mr Toyin Olufolahan explained to worldtopnewsng.com that he didn’t know why they are dragging Ooni’s name in the mud.
He explained further that he was the one who approached Ooni for a hefty loan of over N110 million to assist the travellers.
“The evacuation flight was conceived purely as a humanitarian flight, a group of Nigerians that are based in Canada came to me, they said they have an association of Young Nigerians in Canada. That they have been stranded in Nigeria for the last five months and every effort made to go back to their base in Canada and US have all failed so they wanted me to help them because they have run out of fund, their wives and children are abroad, that they want to reunite with them.
“I asked them what they want me to do; they said they have contributed money that they want to hire an aircraft. They want me to stand as a payment platform in which there’s no big deal there, part of the function of Microfinance Bank is to see how I can aid to improve the living standard of the people. Add to that they wanted Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty to assist them in processing landing permit, I told them that’s equally not too difficult, I will convey your message to him and in principle, I’m ready to make my bank available as a payment platform.”
“We signed MoU with 7 Star Global on this to airlift them. The exchange rate they are using leaving a margin of about 15 per cent thinking we’ll get an inflow to pay the aircraft company, unfortunately, we approached the CBN they said they don’t have forex, all the foreign inflow we got they said they only have cash, and there’s no way you will pay that kind of money in cash because of anti-money laundering, that was the cause of the delay. Basically, everybody meant well, but before you know it, people begin to say it’s a scam.”
“The total amount of money they contributed cannot even pay 40 per cent to the aircraft, the aircraft was leased at the rate of £469,535 which is about N282 million. So the entire contribution as at the time we about to pay was N110 million so we have to go and beg and cry to His Imperial Majesty. He helped us approached some people for the loan of over N110 million, as am talking to you, those people are yet to get their money. Invariably when we succeded in paying there were lots of delays.”
“Later, I now got to understand that 7 Star Global doesn’t have a firm structure in place. Eventually when the airline came, before they left Madrid they gave us 177 people they will carry when we are having over 200, when they got here their personnel on the ground said they would carry less than that figure but we insisted, so that was the little misunderstanding we had.”
“So, when they got to Madrid to Toronto back to the US, WAMOS Air refused to honour the second leg and in the US we are having over 200 passengers already so you can see the kind of problem we have. We are not able to pay back the over N110 million loan we got through His Imperial Majesty. He has written to the government of Spain reporting WAMOS Air and asking them to make a refund to us for the second lap of the journey in addition to compensation so that we can compensate those people that had their flight cancelled from the US and Nigeria.”
A representative of 7 Star Global identify as Fola promised to get back but she didn’t, further calls placed not picked.
