How MD/CEO Themap.ng, Anyanso Mma Allegedly Swindled Over 3,000 Nigerians N7.5b

MICHAEL AKINOLA

Facts have emerged on how the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Themap.ng, Anyanso Mma, allegedly lured over 3,000 innocent Nigerians and obtained them about N7.5b under pretense of business and promise of mouthwatering return on investment.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the details were contained in a petition to Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, Economic And Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Chairman, for prompt intervention.

The prime suspect, Mr. Mma, allegedly committed the dubious act with one Michael Mma -Director/Shareholder and Procurement Manager, Uchechwu Agu -Chief Operating Officer (COO), Mrs. Nene lroha – HR Manager and CRMI Manager,  Mrs. Tolani Alabi – Public Relation Officer.

Apart from the fact that Mr. Anyanso Mma was the alter ego of the company, he actively campaigned (via appearances on radios, podcasts, Instagram live, etc) and engaged some social media influencers like Debo Adebayo, also known as Mr. Macaroni and Jubril Oladapo Gbadamosi.

Also some known as officers, who used their social media handles to advertise and promote his business on behalf of the company for ‘investors’ to invest funds into the company’s various investment plans were the followings:
I. Logistics/ Bike Investment — Mayweather Promo
II. Customer Relationship Management Investment (CRMI) 
III. Education Virtual Reality for Students Investment (VR) 
IV. Location Sponsorship Investment
V. Real Estate Investment. 
VI. independent Investment — Allweather Promo

“With the expected ROI hovering between 60% to 110% depending on the investment plan and duration. Little did we, the investors, know that the said Anyanso Mma and his cohorts were diverting investors’ funds” one of the investors said.

 It was also revealed that, to successfully lure the innocent investors, the company had an actual office manned by staff with few bikes seen within the company’s various offices premises and along the road (Ikeja, Lekki, and Abuja).

So, when investors get to any of the offices, they actually get the impression that they are investing in a proper company.
Investors confidence was further brought with the well-publicized remittances made to the earlier investors. The unraveling of the suspected Ponzi scheme all started around 1st week of October 2020, when suddenly, the company started giving excuses why it could not pay.

At first, it stated that the CRMI was oversubscribed and that the company wanted to refund the excesses before payment could resume (however, they still accepted funds from some investors). 
Later, it said that the SEC has ordered them to refund all CRMI investors. After that, it was one story or the other and Mr. Anyanso Mma actually went underground, claiming to have had an accident, and continued to hide until it was learnt that EFCC officers had arrested him.

EFCC officers held him in a detention facility at Okotie-Eboh Office at Ikoyi for about a month and then released him on the 22nd of December 2020. Prior to his release, Anyanso Mma gave investors his word that as soon as he is released, he would sell some of the assets he diverted investors’ monies into and pay up investors. 

To the chagrin of investors, after he was released, he stated clearly that EFCC had asked/instructed him not to meet or communicate with investors. This, the EFCC denied. Again, he stated that the EFCC has not ‘unfreezed’ the company’s account as well as his personal account.

It is worthy to note that Anyanso Mma on several occasions clearly stated that he is not the enemy, rather, we have a common enemy being the EFCC, that the EFCC is the reason he has not paid the investors and was encouraging the investors to stage protest against the EFCC at Okotie-Eboh Office at Ikoyi, to release his assets and unfreeze his company’s accounts and his personal account. 

Reference to one of his numerous emails sent to investors about the delay in payment is and I quote:

“Dear Esteem Partners,

Your grievances are well understood and we apologize for all the pain and inconvenience the situation has caused you.

We are not against our investors nor against paying back, but at the moment the company and the investors have a common enemy which is the EFCC. We do not have any control over how long their investigation will last or when they will release our assets and accounts, we are working tirelessly with a joint combination of our legal team and a legal team provided by some of our investors who are going the extra mile to see us through the situation.

Please know that this situation is by no means a deliberate action by the company and there is no scam involved as we have just been put in a bad position by the commission and we are doing all we can to make sure the situation is resolved and everyone is paid, that is our major aim and motive”.

“Chairman Sir, with about 7.5 billion Naira investors’ funds (from Anyanso’s own admission), still under his firm and with EFCC Lagos, has been on the matter for about /months without prosecution still claims they are still investigating him. Mr. Chairman Sir, we implore you to kindly act in the interest of the innocent investors.”

Furthermore, Anyanso Mma admitted using some people’s bank accounts to receive funds since EFCC had restricted his bank accounts. He also admitted that he used investors funds to invest heavily in properties. It will interest you to know that on three (3) occasions, the investors have offered to help Anyanso Mma release his properties, which he claimed to be seized by EFCC, but Anyanso Mma only accepted verbally, but never comes forth with the conditions given by investors. These conditions are as follows:

1. That Anyanso Mma will provide an MoU making commitments for payments, using the assets as collateral if he fails to make payments afterward

2. That he includes payment plan in this MoU

3. That he sends this MoU to our various lawyers to review before adoption 

“However, Anyanso Mma used his lawyer not performing as an excuse for why the MoU has not been out. The investors, through one of the lawyers, told Anyanso not to use EFCC as an excuse anymore because he had been offered assistance which he has not complied with.

Anyanso Mma may just disappear with the entirety of the money should EFCC release the assets and unfreeze his account without the investors being carried along especially in the light of both Themap.ng and Anyanso Mma holding investors incommunicado. While there is no doubt that EFCC has no collaboration with Mr. Anyanso Mma and Themap.ng, to do away with investors funds, the agency’s long delay to either prosecute Anyanso Mma or release/unblock the investors’ funds and the assets purchased with investors’ funds so as to alleviate investor’s plight is making a lot of investors believe otherwise. 

“EFCC should either prosecute Anyanso Mma and all his collaborators in this monumental suspected Ponzi scheme or release/unfreeze forthwith (with the investors’ consent), all funds and assets belonging to or purchased by Anyanso Mma, with investors’ monies are evenly distributed to investors.

“We, the investors, are appealing to the Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, to come to our aid as our only hope to get justice for the investors to ensure that every investors’ monies are refunded. Due to the current hardship in the country some investors have lost their lives through suicide, depressions, and shock on how they are going to pay back the loans they collected with collaterals, many can’t afford to pay their rent anymore, many have relocated to their villages and many have been sent out of schools due to tuition fees not paid and many marriages broken.

“Thank you in anticipation of a favorable consideration in the sole interest of the investors.”

Some of the investors included,  Messrs Agbonifo Ohis Iyawere (N3,340,000), Victor Okinedo (N15,340,000), Chibueze Amuchie( N800,000), Bazuaye John and family (N25, 081,000), Obiakor Elochukwu Pious and wife (N44,900,00) and several others.

One of the victims, Enokela, who said he invested only N1.5m with the hope to receive almost N3m on returns and had attempt on his life because he borrowed some amount from friends and added it to his school fees to make up the N1.5m; saying he had no hope of repayment hence the suicide attempt.

The suspect, CEO, Mr Mma, could not be reached on his phone because it was switched off as the Anti-graft agency, EFCC, confirmed that the matter is under investigation.