Mike Adenuga

NESREA prosecuted Globacom and its former CEO Ahmad Farroukh for operating more than 7,000 base stations without the required environmental audits and failing to comply with enforcement notices issued in 2024.

State of the evidence

Documented

Person targeted by the proceedings

Globacom et son ancien directeur général

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

The Abia State High Court authorised local tax authorities to seal Globacom offices in Aba and Umuahia and recover approximately 4.05 billion naira in unpaid taxes and levies relating to 2010–2022.

State of the evidence

Documented

The NCC authorised partial disconnection of Globacom from MTN over unpaid interconnection charges. Following mediation, the two operators settled their dispute and the NCC withdrew the disconnection authorisation in February 2024.

State of the evidence

Documented

A TechCabal investigation documented a major cyberattack against Globacom in July 2023, confirmed by the NCC and NITDA. Internal sources alleged that customer data may have been compromised, and the NCC stated that Globacom had not initially reported the attack, with the regulator itself contacting the company.

State of the evidence

Documented

The NCC suspended regulatory services to Globacom over unpaid obligations relating in particular to spectrum, numbers and annual fees. In October 2023, the commission restored services following payment of approximately 154 billion naira.

State of the evidence

Documented

In Lawrence Okpako v Globacom, the National Industrial Court found that the employee had resigned following an instruction from management and awarded him two months' salary in lieu of notice. The employee maintained that the instruction had come, through HR, from Mike Adenuga's authority.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Globacom was publicly accused of dismissing approximately 90 employees, mostly women, because of their marital status. The case sparked controversy over workplace discrimination.

A Premium Times investigation documented several claims and disputes involving Mike Adenuga or companies in his group, as well as an exposure identified by AMCON. Together, these fuelled controversy over indebtedness among certain major Nigerian conglomerates.

State of the evidence

Documented

The ICIJ Offshore Leaks database identifies Mike Agbolade Adenuga as director, representative or shareholder of several offshore structures, including Camelot Foods Limited in the Seychelles and Catalan Continental Limited in Malta.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

In October 2009, the CBN removed Mike Adenuga from the board of Equitorial Trust Bank during its banking sector clean-up amid governance concerns. A few weeks later, the CBN authorised his reinstatement following an audit that had revealed no serious supervisory problem or criminal activity attributable to the board.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Mike Adenuga was arrested and questioned by the EFCC in 2006 in connection with the PTDF case. A panel report documented placements of PTDF funds with Equitorial Trust Bank, a bank linked to Adenuga, and considered that these placements had benefited private interests; it also recommended further investigations into Globacom's governance and ownership.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated