By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
Current and former employees of Equipment Hall Limited and Wowbii Interactive have alleged that speaking about their experiences at work came with fear of losing their jobs, intimidation and, in some cases, serious personal consequences.
About eight employees, both male and female, including current and former staff, have come forward with accounts alleging sexual harassment, physical assault, threats to life and intimidation involving Gbolahan Bolaji Olayomi, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Equipment Hall Limited and founder of Wowbii Interactive.
The accounts, according to sources, form part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of workplace misconduct across the companies’ offices in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.
According to people who spoke as part of the investigation, some employees who raised concerns about alleged misconduct were eventually dismissed, while others were allegedly pressured to resign, with claims that employees who were not themselves victims but spoke up in support of colleagues were also removed from the organisation.
The employees said their concerns did not end with what they allegedly experienced within the workplace, with some claiming they faced intimidation after raising complaints or demanding outstanding payments owed to them.
One current female employee, whose account is among those being investigated, said she remains officially employed by Equipment Hall and Wowbii Interactive and has neither resigned nor been dismissed.
Her account directly disputes an earlier description of her status by a representative of the organisation, who said she was a senior staff member suspended over alleged theft and diversion of company products.
The employee said she has never been suspended and that no suspension letter was issued to her, adding that there is no signed or acknowledged document placing her on suspension. She also disputed the organisation’s suggestion that she was being pursued by the police over fraud or theft.
According to her, she was instead accosted and allegedly harassed out of the office by Olayomi, accompanied by armed police officers, after she began speaking up about what she described as harassment and while demanding payment of her outstanding dues.
She maintained that Olayomi has her residential and email addresses and that, if there were a legitimate police complaint against her, the appropriate authorities could formally invite her, stressing that she has received no police invitation or letter accusing her of an offence.
The investigation is also examining claims involving the alleged use of police officers during disputes with employees and former employees, with sources alleging that armed officers were deployed during some encounters with staff, describing their presence as intimidating.
One incident reportedly occurred on Wednesday,15 July and Thursday,16 July, 2026 involving an employee whose outstanding entitlements are said to remain unpaid.
Another incident was allegedly recorded on Tuesday, 25 August, 2026 when police officers reportedly appeared while one of the alleged victims was at the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency.
The employee involved in the latest account said the officers who appeared at Bariga during a session relating to her harassment complaint were not authorised to act.
According to her, the Divisional Police Officer at Bariga Police Station intervened, asked the officers to leave the station and took steps to ensure her safety, further claiming that the DPO alerted senior officials within the Lagos State Police Command, including the Gender Unit, as well as the Special Fraud Unit.
The circumstances surrounding the incident, including the identity of the officers, why they were present and the actions taken by the DPO, remain subject to independent verification.
The employee also alleged that Olayomi is currently being sought or invited by several government and law enforcement agencies, including the Special Fraud Unit in Ikoyi, the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency and the Gender Unit of the Lagos State Police Command in Ikeja, claims that will require confirmation from the relevant agencies.
Allegations of theft and fraud have become a major point of dispute between the employee and the organisation, with the employee claiming that such accusations have repeatedly been used against employees who speak up about alleged harassment, assault or outstanding payments.
She said there are other current and former employees willing to provide accounts of similar experiences, adding that some have already made official statements.
One case she specifically raised concerns a former HR Manager who, according to her, spoke up on behalf of staff. The employee alleged that Olayomi instructed the HR Manager to create or alter documents that would be used to challenge her employment contract and provide grounds for withholding her outstanding dues.
According to the employee, the HR Manager refused because she is a lawyer and would not participate in the alleged conduct, and was subsequently accused of theft and dismissed within the same period. The former HR Manager has been identified as a potential source for further verification of the claim.
The employee has also disputed an alleged claim by Olayomi that goods were stolen in Port Harcourt, saying the goods had already been paid for and received by the customer, who subsequently issued a cease-and-desist letter to Olayomi after becoming aware of the allegation. A copy of the letter has reportedly been provided as part of the documents being collated for the investigation.
The investigation has also received allegations concerning how complaints were handled within the organisation, with sources alleging that previous HR officials raised concerns about some of the issues with Ibifuro Boma Olayomi, the wife of the CEO and a senior Employee Relations Manager at Total.
According to the sources, she was aware of some of the complaints because of her reported involvement in aspects of the companies’ business affairs, with further allegations that she was involved in reviewing dismissal letters concerning employees who had spoken up.
These claims have not been independently verified, and no conclusion can be drawn about her involvement without examining the relevant documentation and hearing her response, a caveat that applies equally to other individuals mentioned by sources in connection with the handling of complaints.
The organisation, however, disputes the narrative presented by some of the complainants.
In a telephone conversation obtained as part of the investigation, a representative said the matter should not be viewed simply as a case of employees being victimised, alleging that one of the individuals involved was being sought by the police over allegations of fraud and theft, and advising the person to present herself to the authorities to answer the allegations.
The representative further alleged that the individual was a senior staff member who had been suspended over alleged theft and diversion of company products, maintaining that the organisation possessed sufficient evidence to support its position and that a criminal investigation was ongoing. The representative insisted that the matter was about the organisation and not a personal dispute.
The employee, however, disputes that account, saying she has never been suspended, has not received any formal police invitation and remains officially employed by the company.
She also rejected the theft and fraud allegations, maintaining that they are being used to divert attention from her complaints about alleged harassment and her demand for outstanding entitlements.
The organisation’s response did not specifically address the wider allegations of sexual harassment, physical assault, threats to life, intimidation or the claims concerning the former HR Manager.
The allegations have not been established by a court, and the counter-allegations of fraud and theft made against the employee have likewise not been judicially determined.
However, the investigation has produced competing accounts that can be tested against documents, official records and statements from the relevant individuals and agencies.
The employee has offered to provide contact details for agencies she says have been involved in complaints or investigations concerning Olayomi, while additional current and former employees are also said to be willing to provide statements. Documentation, including correspondence relating to the disputed Port Harcourt transaction and statements from individuals who say they witnessed or experienced similar incidents, is being collated.
The investigation remains ongoing, with efforts being made to independently verify the claims and obtain responses from the individuals and agencies named in the allegations.
For the employees who have come forward, the accounts raise concerns about how workplace complaints are handled and what happens when employees choose to speak up or demand what they believe they are owed.
