Lagos court sets October 20 hearing in Oga Sabinus €40,750 contract dispute

A Lagos State High Court sitting at Tapa has scheduled October 20, 2026, to hear an application connected with a contractual dispute involving comedian and brand influencer Emmanuel Ejekwu, popularly known as Oga Sabinus. The application concerns a request to serve Ejekwu by substituted means in a suit brought by Arcadia Hospitality Limited, which trades as 22BET.

The case, numbered LD/ADR/6557/2026, is before Justice Adebayo Oyebanji. Ejekwu and his manager, Obinna Nwabufo, also known as Mike Premium, are named as defendants. The claimant, represented by lawyer Obafemi Oluwole, alleges that Ejekwu failed to carry out obligations arising from a marketing agreement reached in February 2024.

According to the claimant's case, the agreement was valued at €163,000 in total. It provided for an advance payment of €40,750, with the remaining amount to be paid quarterly. 22BET alleges that the advance was transferred in two equal instalments on February 8 and February 9, 2024, to a cryptocurrency wallet said to have been supplied by Nwabufo on behalf of Ejekwu's management. The company further alleges that the wallet's receipt of the funds was confirmed by the defendants.

22BET says the arrangement required Ejekwu to carry out a range of promotional activities. The alleged obligations included publishing promotional material on social media, displaying the company's branding, appearing in television advertisements, placing a company link in his social media biography, creating an Instagram highlight and attending company events and press conferences. The claimant alleges that these services were not ultimately performed despite efforts to secure compliance with the agreement.

The company also says the defendants later maintained that, although the cryptocurrency wallet was credited, they did not ultimately obtain value from the payment. 22BET disputes that position and argues that it did not remove the contractual obligations. According to the claimant, the agreement required any change or waiver to be documented in writing and signed by the parties.

Following the alleged non-performance, 22BET says its lawyer issued demand letters dated June 1, 2026, terminating the agreement and seeking repayment of the €40,750 advance. The company is asking the court to declare that Ejekwu breached the agreement and to order Ejekwu and Nwabufo to refund the advance jointly and severally. It is also seeking annual interest of 10 per cent on the €40,750 from February 8, 2024, until judgment, alongside general and special damages and the cost of the lawsuit. The claims remain allegations before the court.