Popular Socialite, Rilwan Alesh, Loses Hotel over Unpaid Debt

Popular Socialite, Rilwan Alesh, Loses Hotel over Unpaid Debt

One of the obvious implications of being a celebrity with class and culture is that when the horns of calamity are blown, the sounds carry over and beyond. Case in point, Chief Rilwan Aleshinloye; Alesh, as he is widely known. This popular socialite is proving time and time again that death is not the only equalizer of the affluent and destitute – debt is an approaching rival.

Recently, the popular socialite locked horns with Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) over his erstwhile hotel, Alesh International Hotel. According to several sources, the esteemed hotel, located at 1 Alesh Road, Ajah in Lagos, is now the property of AMCON following unsettled debts. This is evidently not a mild difference to be settled over bread and breakfast, seeing as the alleged debts amount to hundreds of millions of Naira.

AMCON claims that the debt of N187.3 million issued from a N100 million loan facility granted by the now-defunct Platinum Habib Bank (Bank PHB) in 2008.

Apparently appraising this as a lucrative venture, Alesh himself promptly secured the facility against a legal mortgage on his hotel. But expectations are a pail of cold water when they refuse to show up. Alesh supposedly eluded efforts by Bank PHB to get the loan and subsequent interests – which had now grown to a robust N187.3 million.

As Bank PHB could not recover the loan from Alesh and Hotel, the loan was purchased by AMCON. Since multimillion-naira corporations are not known to be overly generous bed friends, the stalwart AMCON courteously dragged Alesh to court. A cloak-and-dagger approach could not have been more effective.

Following the affidavit tendered before the Federal High Court, a ruling was passed in favour of AMCON, deciding that the debt is easily rescinded – much the same way as Alesh’s ownership of Alesh International Hotel is easily rescinded. All things belonging to the socialite, whether they be landlord, lad or lackey have been warned of the property. Along these lines, Ogbeni Alesh is now one hotel short. It was not so long ago that Alesh lost another prized possession, his marriage to Shade Adesoye, the Lagos big girl and textile merchant. If ugly truly comes in threesomes, Alesh has got two marks down.

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