The daughter of kidnapped Jezco Group Chairman, Chief Joseph Ezeokafor, has blamed her younger brother, businessman Eberechukwu Ezeokafor, popularly known as Jowizaza, for allegedly creating a false impression of the family’s wealth through his flamboyant social media lifestyle.
Blessing Ezeokafor, the businessman’s eldest daughter, made the explosive allegations while appealing to the kidnappers holding her father to release him, claiming that her brother’s public display of wealth may have fuelled the huge ransom now being demanded.
According to Blessing, the kidnappers initially demanded N700 million but later raised the ransom to N1.5 billion.
She alleged that Jowizaza’s portrayal of wealth on social media made the abductors believe the family had enormous financial resources, despite what she described as the family’s heavy indebtedness.
“Why Jowizaza my brother. You are the cause of this madness. Social media noise, when we don’t have that money. You use audio money to make hoodlums think the money is available,” she wrote.
Blessing further alleged that the family’s businesses were indebted to banks and other financial institutions, insisting that the wealth displayed publicly did not reflect their actual financial position.
“Imagine, N1 billion? If anything happens to my dad, I will hold you responsible. Making noise, when we are owing bank N40 billion. And these people think the money is there, see what your madness exposing has done to us,” she alleged.
She also claimed that Jowizaza himself was struggling financially despite his affluent public image.
“Fake life claiming what we don’t have. You are owing banks FCMB N40 billion, no hope to pay, you are owing Union Bank, you are struggling, even American company I introduced you guys Feedco, yet you keep making noise. Now your madness has made people think we have money,” she wrote.
The allegations have not been independently verified, while Jowizaza had not publicly responded to his sister’s claims at the time of the report.
In an emotional appeal directed at the kidnappers, Blessing insisted that the family could not afford the ransom and urged them to release her father, who she said needs regular medication.
“Kidnappers they don’t have money, it is audio money, please leave my dad alone. Please release him, they are swimming in debt,” she wrote.
Blessing also alleged that her brother had initially agreed to pay N700 million for their father’s release, questioning how such a huge amount could have been offered when, according to her, he did not have N100 million readily available.
Defending her decision to expose the family’s financial situation publicly, she said remaining silent could convince the kidnappers that the family had the money but was deliberately refusing to pay.
“Some idiots are saying I should not talk what I know. So you want those kidnappers to think we have money and refused to give them and kill him there? I will now become fatherless,” she said.
She added that her priority was securing her father’s safe release because of his medical needs.
“At this point I need to talk so they can be talking reasonable of what we can provide. Dad needs his medication and I don’t want anything to happen to my dad,” she added.
Blessing further criticised her brother’s social media presence, saying his public display of wealth was at odds with the family’s supposedly modest lifestyle.
“See coming to Facebook was the biggest mistake my brother made. We have simple life not exaggerating wealth. Any blogger that I see exaggerating our wealth again will have questions to answer,” she said.
Her allegations have added a dramatic family dimension to the kidnapping of the Jezco Group chairman, with the ransom reportedly rising from N700 million to N1.5 billion amid claims that the kidnappers may have been influenced by the family’s public image.
The claims concerning the family’s debts, Jowizaza’s finances and his alleged role in the ransom negotiations remain allegations made by Blessing as efforts continue to secure her father’s release.
