Designer denies fraud allegation by music star, Rema

Legal representatives of Ms. Amaka Obasi, creative director of Arden Lifestyle Company, have dismissed allegations of fraud levelled against their client by Afrobeats star Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, describing them as baseless and misleading.

In a statement by Valerian Vianney & Partners LP, the law firm clarified that Obasi was legitimately engaged under a Designer Services Agreement to renovate Rema’s Lagos residence.

The agreement, it said, covered major structural works such as demolition, expansion of the building from four to five bedrooms, pool reconstruction, roofing, flooring, tiling, POP installation, and the construction of a carport.

The firm explained that Obasi had successfully handled two previous projects for the Ikubor family without any dispute and maintained constant communication with Rema during the renovation.

According to the statement, she provided regular progress updates, photographs, and videos of the project, and at no time did Rema raise complaints about the quality of work.

Addressing concerns about delays, the law firm said they were caused by factors beyond Obasi’s control, including design modifications introduced by Rema, access restrictions by the estate managers, and increased material costs due to inflation.

Despite these setbacks and an expanded project scope, the firm noted, Obasi did not raise her professional fees.

The firm stated that the disagreement between both parties only began when discussions arose regarding additional work not included in the original contract.

It maintained that the issue was a civil contractual dispute and should not have been turned into a criminal matter.

It condemned the alleged arrest of Obasi by the Nigeria Police following Rema’s petition, describing the action as a violation of her constitutional rights and an abuse of police powers.

The allegation of fraud and obtaining money by false pretence is unfounded. The law should not be weaponised to criminalise civil disagreements or used as a tool for debt recovery,” the statement read.

Cupped from vanguard.