A Lagos-based businessman, Amarah Kennedy, who was accused of spreading the nude photos of two single mothers, has vowed to destroy their reputation after a special report exposing his activities was published by PUNCH Newspapers.
Kennedy, in chats with our correspondent and the victims, said he would never forgive them.
According to PUNCH Metro, a series of nude photos the suspect recently sent to the friends of the women on Facebook were obtained.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command had yet to arrest the suspect despite the victims reporting the matter since June 15 at the Pen Cinema Police Station, where the police allegedly demanded N50,000 from one of the ladies.
Our correspondent, on Sunday, reported that the two women, identified simply as Kester and Temi, met Kennedy on different WhatsApp and Facebook chat groups for singles.
Kester, who lost her husband about eight years ago in a car crash, said the suspect, after chatting her up, started showering her with monetary gifts.
However, after he demanded a loan which she turned down, he sent her over 50 of her nude photos.
According to her, the photos were taken without her knowledge after they had sexual intercourse in a hotel.
She said the suspect demanded N100,000 from her as a condition to delete the photos.
The mother of two said after she sent the money and asked if the photos had been deleted, he demanded an additional N40,000 to delete the photos permanently, which she sent to him.
Despite the payments, the suspect went ahead to circulate the nude photos on Facebook.
Kester said she attempted suicide twice but failed, as some of those who saw the nude photos started questioning her.
The second victim, Temi, said the suspect usually had marathon sex with her in hotels while allegedly under the influence of drugs, and afterwards gave her N1,000 as transport fares.
She said after she discovered that the suspect was not serious about the relationship and was merely using her, she stopped talking to him.
However, Kennedy reportedly sent her several of her nude photos and demanded all the money he had spent on her in the relationship.
She said she borrowed N15,000, which she sent to him.
However, after she appealed to his sister on Facebook for help to talk to him, he started circulating the nude photos.
Temi said the businessman regularly called her to demand money.
A rights group, Black Diamonds Support Foundation, alleged that after an investigation, it discovered that nine widows and three single mothers had fallen victims to Kennedy.
Kennedy, while reacting to the allegations, said the two women collected money from him while their relationship lasted.
He said he saved over N600,000 with Kester but she refused to return the funds, while he gave Temi over N400,000.
The former bank worker claimed that Temi, a mother of two, sent the nudes to him during their video chats.
Our correspondent, however, queried why he shared photos sent to him in trust and love with third parties.
He replied, “To be very honest with you my brother, because you are a man like me, that was unfair. Very unfair. But that is behind me because I have already apologised. I am very unhappy that this is happening now and she (Temi) is trying to bring it up.”
After the report was published, the suspect chatted with our correspondent, accusing him of bias.
He said he had been receiving calls from his school’s alumni association and some relatives regarding the matter.
Kennedy vowed to damage the reputation of the women more for “spoiling my image”.
In a voice note to PUNCH Metro on WhatsApp, he said, “My image has been damaged. I will make sure I also spoil their image to all their friends. Kester, I have already sent the pictures to all her in-laws; her husband is late; I have sent all the pictures to her in-laws.
“But tomorrow (Tuesday), I will go to the police station. Temi too; they have already spoiled my image. I will do too.”
In several messages that followed, he said to this reporter, “I wanted to make peace with this people, but they refused. Since they have tarnished my image, I will never forgive. I rather die.”
Within minutes, our correspondent got messages from the victims, saying the suspect had carried out his threats and had started circulating their nude photos to their Facebook friends.
Temi sent our correspondent snapshots of her blurred nude photos sent to her by the suspect on WhatsApp.
The images were accompanied with the words, “You will trend more bastards. Shebi you can testify. Your pictures are going out today. Bastards. Send to defunke as usual.”
While chatting with Kester, he said he had read her account of the incident in the report.
He then sent her a snapshot of a list of her Facebook friends.
“See them, each of them will get the pictures. Bastard like you. I am already sending it to their inbox,” he added.
PUNCH Metro also obtained screenshots of the nude photos of Kester sent to several people on the list.
For one of the users, he included Kester’s phone number, saying, “Greet her. Give me your WhatsApp number, check the pictures I sent.”
The user, however, replied, “I don’t know the person and I don’t know you. What’s the person’s name and your name?”
One of those who received Kester’s nude photos on Facebook, Emeka (surname withheld), said the suspect impersonated a lady, ‘Jennifer Agoh” to send the images to him.
He said, “He painted her black to all those on her friends’ list. I don’t know his motives, but it’s a breach of data and privacy and a crime against humanity.
“I tried to have a conversation with the sender and why he did it, but he said after work he would tell me. But afterwards, he deactivated the account. I did not see him on Facebook again.
“That was when I called Kester, because I know her personally, and asked her what happened and she told me.”
Another woman who received the nude photos, Ariyike, said she got them from a third party, Rotimi, on Monday morning.
The Executive Secretary, Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, expressed shock at the development.
The agency promised to look into the case.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said there was no update on the matter.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Muywa Adejobi, urged the women to write a petition to the state Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa, assuring that the matter would be taken up.
When told that the matter had got to the Lagos CP after it was transferred from the Pen Cinema Police Division, he asked that a page of the petition be sent to him.