Blessing Ezeokafor, daughter of kidnapped businessman and Chairman of Jezco Group, Chief Joseph Ezeokafor, has accused her younger brother, Eberechukwu Ezeokafor, popularly known as Jowizaza, of portraying a flamboyant lifestyle on social media that she claimed contributed to their father’s abduction and the huge ransom being demanded by his captors.
Blessing, who is said to be the eldest child of the kidnapped businessman, made the allegations in a series of social media posts in which she appealed to the abductors to release her father and disputed public perceptions about the family’s wealth.
She claimed that Jowizaza’s social media lifestyle had created an exaggerated impression of the family’s financial position and alleged that the kidnappers consequently believed the family could afford an enormous ransom.
According to her, the initial ransom negotiations involved a demand of N700 million, which she alleged subsequently rose to N1.5 billion.
She blamed her brother for what she described as a “fake” display of wealth, arguing that the family’s actual financial position was substantially different from the image projected publicly.
“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 and its businesses were carrying substantial debts, including liabilities to financial institutions.
“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 her brother was struggling financially despite the wealthy image associated with him on social media.
“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 financial claims made by Blessing against her brother and the family businesses could not be independently verified, while Jowizaza had not responded to the allegations in the material available at the time of this report.
In an unusual direct appeal to her father’s abductors, Blessing pleaded with them to reconsider their ransom expectations, insisting that the family did not possess the level of liquid wealth they apparently believed it had.
“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.
She also alleged that her brother had initially agreed to pay N700 million to secure their father’s release, claiming the development contributed to an increase in the ransom demand.
Blessing questioned how such an amount could have been offered when, according to her, her brother did not have N100 million readily available in cash.
The distraught daughter defended her decision to make details of the family’s financial situation public after receiving criticism for airing the dispute on social media.
According to her, remaining silent could reinforce the abductors’ belief that the family possessed enough money to meet their demand but was simply 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.
Blessing said her immediate concern was her father’s safety, particularly because he required medication.
“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.
She maintained that the family’s traditionally private lifestyle had been overshadowed by her brother’s social media presence and warned bloggers against exaggerating the family’s wealth.
“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.
The allegations have introduced a dramatic family dimension to the kidnapping of the Jezco Group chairman, with Blessing effectively arguing that the public projection of extreme wealth could have heightened the abductors’ expectations during ransom negotiations.
Her claims against Jowizaza, including those concerning the family’s debts, his personal finances and his alleged role in ransom negotiations, remain allegations made in the context of efforts to secure their father’s release.
David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka
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