How Ghana Betting Company Franchise Tore Buruji Kashamu, Kessington Adebutu Apart
+The EFCC Connection
Kunle Aderibigbe, Lagos
The cat and mouse relationship between Prince Buruji kashamu and the Adebutus has finally headed for the rocks, Gateway Times can reliably inform.
Sen Kashamu who was once the arrowhead of PDP in Ogun State and determined who got what had practically become a favourite ‘son’ of Chief Kessington Adebutu, Ladi Adebutu’s father.
The political relationship between Buruji and Adebutu was said to have aided the latter’s House of Representatives seat in the last dispensation.
The marriage, however, went sour during Ladi Adebutu’s governorship ambition in Ogun State because Buruji was fingered as the main character who crushed Ladi’s dream to become governor in 2019.
Gateway Times findings have it that the spoiler game allegedly played by Buruji, by funding some forces in the All Progressives Congress, APC, actually cost Adebutu close to N1 billion naira.
On the latest faceoff, Buruji, who once established Western Lotto, was reported to have landed Chief Kessington Adebutu in EFCC dragnet by writing a petition on tax evasion allegedly committed by Adebutu’s Premier Lotto.
Though, loyalists of Adebutu are confident he will escape the challenge.
Unknown to many, the dirty fight actually started several months back when Buruji dragged Premier Lotto and few others to court over who was entitled to the franchise of Ghana games in Nigeria.
In the litigation, Buruji is pleading with the court to prevail on Premier Lotto and others to pay him some billions of naira as damages.
Further investigation has it that sizeable numbers of lotto operators in Nigeria had been maintaining a link with the Ghana based betting company long before Western Lotto owned by Buruji joined the business.
Gateway Times scooped that Buruji, in his bid to control the lotto market, went ahead of others to officially obtain the franchise of the Ghana games.
Sources said, he was obliged after several millions reportedly exchanged hands.
But when Adebutu and few others who are known key players in the market would not budge despite Buruji’s underground moves, the billionaire senator was then forced to come up with Plan B.
Further findings by this magazine revealed that Ghana games which was established sometime in 1962 was the most sought-after by stakers ahead of others around.
Kashamu, last year, had dragged over 26 lotto operators to court, asking to pay him royalties as the sole franchise owner of Ghana games in Nigeria.
The court case has resumed hearing today in the Federal Capital, Abuja.
