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| Ahmed's mugshot |
Popular Lagos socialite and Night Club owner, Ahmed Uwhubetine was arrested in the US a few weeks ago for shoplifting and theft at a store in Atlanta, Georgia. His mug shot was taken and posted on the internet – jailbase.com, an informational site for friends, family and victims of arrested persons charged for theft and shoplifting, where he was booked by Fulton County Sheriff’s office on July 16, 2011. Ahmed is an upwardly mobile, rich, influential and well connected dude, so how did he find himself in this mess? He tells City People Magazine what exactly happened on that day.
I still can’t believe that I went through that humiliation. I was unlawfully arrested. Do you know how much was alleged to have been stolen? $315 worth of goods. My ordeal started 2 Fridays back at 7.45pm.
My friend and I entered a store to buy a big travel bag, you may not know him but Jean Charles Baldini is one wealthy guy, a French man who is my friend. We went into the Ross Departmental Store located on Piedmont Road in Atlanta. That was July 15, 2011. After purchasing the bag, we decided to buy other items. Then my phone rang and I began to chat with the caller. We also bought items like bed sheets and quilts. Then the store manager came to meet us to ask us what we were up to so he can get us a trolley. We said no problem and continued. After a while we saw about 10 police officers enter the shop with another 20 taking position outside as if it was a commando of style operation. They approached us, asked us to raise our hands and identify ourselves which we did. I told them I was a Nigerian guy, Jean a French guy. They searched us and found our credit cards, mine was a MasterCard, they saw Jean’s AMEX Gold cards, they were then confused. Next thing they brought out handcuffs and handcuffed us and led us outside into their cars. They didn’t let us make phone calls. They took us to the police station where Jean called the French Consulate and I called a few of my friends. Next, they threw us into Fulton County Jail, took mug shots and blood samples to see if we were high on drugs. We were arrested at about 8pm on Friday and by Saturday morning; they had a problem on their hands. Since we were arrested, they will have to arraign us before a court to even be able to get us released. So how will they get a judge to sit on a Saturday morning? The earliest time would Monday morning. I don’t know how they did, they quickly got a judge to sit on Saturday morning who hurriedly heard the case and it was dismissed. Curiously also, the store didn’t press charges. No charges were pressed, no bond demanded, no trial. I guess it was when the lady who interrogated us ran her checks that she saw she was dealing with reputable people with no previous record of conviction. That was what happened. We have sued the store for unlawful arrest and having damaged our reputation, taking our mug shot and posting it on the internet.
Already Ahmed and Jean have briefed the law offices of Belli, Weil, Grozbean & Davis., LLP in Atlanta to take up the case.
40 comments:
Ross? If na better high end store maybe i for understand. Mschewww.
Seems there is more to this than meets the eye, especially the part about him being within the store when he was arrested.
You have to be outside the store for it to be shoplifting, within the store, not at all...
What club does he own?
trust no 1 but urself alone! mayb i might av done it ..
He feels he is talking to people who dont know what goes on abroad. you thief, dem arrest you, free you on bail and you jump bail run go naija. yeye criminal.
Ross of all places how rude...i can tell he was even properly dressed..it appears he is wearing a jacket over a shirt..bcos normally they target black males who appear rough looking and gangsta...i hope he makes a lot of money from them..it is called SHOPPING WHILE BLACK...i used to know Ahmed back in the day, and i am surprised he even went to Ross, because he is all about designers and making an impression..on the other hand Ross sells some relatively nice stuff for men...THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!
Totally agree with anon 5:57
I'm more interested in this; "Jean Charles Baldini is one wealthy guy, a French man who is my friend!"
The story seems incomplete to me.
what happened to Ahmed is not new. Blacks, rich or poor are always targeted in stores across the US
Erm. Atlanta is a black city, it's not like this was Whitesville Alabama.
They wont come after him, except there was a reason to.
Na wa oh!! I hope they sue them for all they're worth!!!!! He looks very angry in that mugshot and with good reason too! Ahmed pele oh!
Anonymous 6.11pm - He ran NV back in the day, then 11.45 and most recently Tribeca.
AHMED! OMG are they out of their minds! He can buy that store ten times over! Chai Ahmed don suffer
Georgia is still redneck country..despite the huge concentration of blacks in certain areas...
Someone flagged up the police and guess his dress sense probs gave him away as a 9ja man..they probs thought he was a top notch fraudster of sorts..
You people make me laugh..remember what happened to Oprah in Paris..not so much shoplifting..but humiliated..little did they know..what about Leona Lewis's Dad..go figure!!
anon 6:15pm shut up please
nope
Georgia is no redneck! I work and live in Atlanta so I know what am talking about. Atlanta is home to thousand of successful black people so black folks fly high in this City. There is more to this story that this Ahmed guy is telling the public. The fact that he's a rich guy in Nigeria doesn't mean that he can't shoplift. I know two rich Nigerian girls arrested for shoplifting here in the US.
na wah ...all this oyibo people can dey crase sometimes. I hope he get good money for pain , suffering and humilation. idiots police. ....
I am suprised that na Ross e dey shop ooooo.
Naija people with all the big man status they like to pose with. I love my Ross, ross na my main store but me be poor girl looking for good deals.
Ross o, I can imagine being held up in Ross, Marshalls, Target, TJMaxx, I'll sue some borri!
I'll contact news, and contact Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson!
This is America Jack!
If you didnt think you were black, you'll know when you get here.
Its what we go through every day...here you are black before you are Nigerian. LOL
To those saying he shoplifted, you must not live in the US. I dont know the dude but I've lived in the US longer than I've lived in Naija and racism is REAL!! Even today!
Something doesn't sound right here. If this really happened as he said, he needs to sue their racist behinds.
Naaaaaaah! You've to be outside before them catch you by loss and prevention crew. Say the truth thief thiefu jankoriko!
This Men are Good ppl...@ (Anonymous 6.13) you most b out of ur Mind 4 u to state the above abt this Guys...you fish brain...I hope u kn that even in ur next LIFE you can never get close to dere Richies...Hater (SCO)
A very Rich guy doesnt have a Gold Amex, He has black. Even common working class folks have gold.
it does sound odd that they would arrest someone in a store sha....... my brother works in security, if they suspect or even profile u due to racism , them go dey use corner eye dey watch u or even watch u on CCTV and catch u once you step out of the store
That one when e still dey store, story dont add up sha..... Racism still dey plenty but arrest inside the store....hummm, is that tortoise story
Thank you Jay'O, a lot of these Anon commenter's come on here to live their dreams(lie lie living in america). I haven't lived in America but my short stay's reinforce to me that racism is "thinly veiled" not "over" in America. There is absolutely nothing in Ross that Ahmed cannot buy fifty times over. But our kunta kinte minded fellow Nigerians will jump on it (because it is a fellow Nigerian) without even trying to investigate the person in question.Ahmed is in the limelight here, if he were klepto, I'm sure we would have heard murmurs. Ahmed did not shoplift at Ross. Even the actions of the store by not pressing charges proves it.
Thank you Jay'O, a lot of these Anon commenter's come on here to live their dreams(lie lie living in america). I haven't lived in America but my short stay's reinforce to me that racism is "thinly veiled" not "over" in America. There is absolutely nothing in Ross that Ahmed cannot buy fifty times over. But our kunta kinte minded fellow Nigerians will jump on it (because it is a fellow Nigerian) without even trying to investigate the person in question.Ahmed is in the limelight here, if he were klepto, I'm sure we would have heard murmurs. Ahmed did not shoplift at Ross. Even the actions of the store by not pressing charges proves it.
Khashoggi Khashoggi.
Sue them.
Google search shows Souces say "he Jumped Bail as he is back in home country 9ja ..@ SIDEEYS ** dont say "There is absolutely nothing in Ross that Ahmed cannot buy fifty times oversaid... ..NA ONLY HIM know his pocket........ naija like to pose especially the ones when no get anything . If he can buy it fifty time he will be in at least MACY and not ROSS... He no get money na make e go ROSS...
I shop in ROSS but if i can buy something fifty times over my leg no go near ROSS, most times the store to scatter
My likely GUESS IS THAT HE SHOP LIFTED joor...Make e try enter back to yankee lets see , coming to give us tortise story..... them no dey arrest person for store , except if maybe the credit card comes up stolen when u r paying . But if u dey steal cloth, na once u step outside they arrest u
Bobo has K leg jare!
Don't get sucked in..
More to this story than meets the eye.
You cannot be arrested for shop lifting inside a shop. Period!! There is no law (State or Federal) in the US that makes allowance for this. Shops can refuse to serve you or ask you to leave on suspicion but until you leave the shop with the goods, you can't be arrested for theft. Theft is the crime since there is no specific statute for shoplifting.
Ahmed is not telling the truth. I live in ATL and I know. Nigerians will always blame racism when there is a doubt and if caught red handed, blame the devil.
Let me say this though. I know Ahmed. He went to University of Benin. Anyone that was in Uniben will know of another occassion similar to this.
abegi this story doesnt add up lie lie.....much more went down
Ahmed this guy will do anything to belong..back in the day he used to shack up with Kofo Majekodunmi and move from one socialite's place to the other...he was very fake back then i don't know about now since he is older...in fact when he was in uniben..his humble mom came to class to visit him and said " i dey look for Augustine my son" (Augustine is apparently his real name)..and he outrightly denied knowing the poor woman....i don't put anything past him..he is as materialistic as they come!!!
HAHAHA...The story surely doesn't add up....But where i have a problem with the story is "He said they bought a bag and started to put goods in the bag"...Homeboy why would u do that when the store get shopping cart; and they asked you "do u need one? and they said NO.....
That is enough suspicion for any store to call cops saying there shop lifting. I worked retail before as long as the camera can show u put stuff in ur bag before you workout of the store and beep security guards can approach you.
Who knows maybe that was there intention to probably walkout with the goods but since they were caught b4 they attempted to shoplift he can design his story for us to believe....
Oga abeg the rich people i know do there shopping in MACYS, Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus or they go to the outlet Stores and go crazy shopping.....so this story get k-leg....Also even if u want designer for less i rather do Marshalls, Ross is too disorganized...
American have become very paranoid and uptight. So yes, it is very true that something like this can happen. They probably saw him take his phone out and imagined he had put something in there. Or they imagined they were drug-dealer types. That is the reality in America now.... anyone can be singled out for some paranoid reason or another and treated shabbily. I hope they sue, sue, sue and make some US$ while they are at it. Good on you, Ahmed for speaking up!
The question that remains unanswered here is that, "why was this juicy story not covered anywhere besides Linda Ikeji's blog"? If this were really true, it should be still be found somewhere on the air... Oga o.
wetin u fde find fo ROSS????
folks, wise up. If he wanted to shoplift, will he be putting stuff inside bag that he still has to take to the check out counter and pay for. if the bag is heavy won't the sales associate open to see what is inside? my guess is that the Ross folks where overzealous. And not that i am saying that there may not be more to the story, but based on the story before me na my own 2cents be dis
For ur info anon 8.41pm he cannot buy Ross 10x over....he isn't dat rich....agree with u anon 8.02pm. He probably 4got 2 pay 4 something since he said he was on d fone and walked out of d store.....rich people shop lift 2. Lindsay lohan is a perfect example. I live in Miami and if it were 2 be georgia I will agree with u on racism but it ATL for crying out loud...it's a black community.
For whatever this is worth, I was with him recently and he has a case against the store. Even rich folks shop at Ross for things like linen.
Too many idiots coming here to comment. I live in France, i have been to the french guy's housesssss. He is the owner of the shipping company that works with Dantata in Apapa. He is stinking rich with our oil money....
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