We’d give anything to have Romeo, back. All the money in the world can’t replace what he meant to us. The only thing the money can do now is help cover some of the financial gaps left by his passing.
It takes a particularly heartless person to hide assets from a widow and the legacy of a father from his children.
Every piece of evidence I’ve found came from tough research and brave individuals who risked their jobs—and sometimes even their lives—to get me information. There are countless facts and unanswered questions about Global West that would make anyone suspicious. Here are just a few key details.
In 2015, I finally got public records from the EFCC case against Global West. These documents had critical information, including contracts and sworn statements from people like Winfred Itima and Olabis Idowu Afolabi (Bisi)—information that was deliberately hidden from me.
In February 2012, Global West was owed $103,400,000 for work they did in 2011. Yet, this money wasn’t paid until after Captain Romeo died in August 2012. To this day, I don’t know how much money was actually paid or how it was distributed. I have never seen financial records for any earnings after 2012.
On May 10, 2017, Winfred Itima filed objections, claiming the original probate documents didn’t include the shares from companies my father, Captain Romeo, founded. This forced us back to court and cost us more money and delays. After years of legal battles, the shares of Global West and Molecular Power Systems (MPS) were finally added to my father’s estate in January 2023.
But there’s still one big problem: Global West refuses to officially recognize these transferred shares, despite multiple requests.
If Oyewole Olugbenga Leke truly saw Romeo as “like a brother,” why won’t he help acknowledge the shares?
Leke insists he has no knowledge of the questionable activities inside Global West after resigning and forfeiting his shares. Yet, his close associate Bisi is documented as authorizing suspicious actions. Even stranger, Leke brought Bisi back into the company in 2024 without ever requiring an explanation for past decisions.
In April 2012, just before my father’s death, Bisi and Akinwale Aboluwade formed Molecular Power Systems (MPS) with my father
But after Captain Romeo’s death, without notification or a shareholder vote, his estate’s shares were mysteriously reduced from 33% to just 1.2%.
Winfred and Bisi were then appointed directors.
Winfred’s sworn testimony to the EFCC showed that the MV Horton vessel was purchased by MPS, which received $4,285,714.28 directly from Global West.
Interestingly, both MPS and Global West shared the same address:
Global West management, especially Winfred, claimed the company was always short on cash. Yet, in January 2014, Global West bought a new office and later sold it to raise cash for legal cases.
All these actions raise serious suspicions. If there are good reasons for them, why won’t Global West and its leaders simply provide explanations and evidence to Captain Romeo’s estate?
I will continue asking these hard questions until I get the truth.
Captain Romeo Itima was a pioneering U.S. Merchant Marine Captain and visionary leader who revolutionized Nigeria’s maritime industry. His legacy of courage, sacrifice, and empowerment endures as a beacon of justice and resilience.
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