‘Your Social Media Lifestyle Is the Reason Our Dad Was Kidnapped, We Owe Banks Over N40bn’ — Jezco’s Daughter Slams Brother Jowizaza

The daughter of kidnapped businessman and Chairman of Jezco Group, Chief Joseph Ezeokafor, has accused her younger brother, Eberechukwu Ezeokafor, popularly known as Jowizaza, of contributing to the circumstances surrounding their father’s abduction.

Blessing Ezeokafor, said to be the businessman’s first child, made the allegations in a series of posts on social media while appealing for the release of her father.

According to Blessing, Jowizaza’s flamboyant lifestyle and display of wealth on social media allegedly created the impression that the family had huge financial resources, which she claimed may have influenced the kidnappers’ ransom demand.

She alleged that the kidnappers initially demanded N700 million but increased the ransom to N1.5 billion after her brother allegedly indicated willingness to pay N700 million.

Blessing also claimed that her family was heavily indebted and did not have access to the kind of money being attributed to them on social media.

“Why Jowizaza, my brother? You are the cause of this madness. Social media noise, when we don’t have that money. You use audio money to make hoodlums think the money is available,” she wrote.

She further alleged that the family owed banks more than N40 billion and questioned how her brother could have agreed to pay N700 million when, according to her, he did not have N100 million in liquid cash.

“Imagine N1 billion? If anything happens to my dad, I will hold you responsible. Making noise when we are owing banks N40 billion, and these people think the money is there. See what your madness exposing has done to us,” she added.

Blessing also accused her brother of previously running their father’s company into financial difficulty before he was removed as a director and placed on a monthly salary of N1 million.

She mentioned FCMB and Union Bank among the institutions she claimed the family owed, while also alleging that Jowizaza was struggling financially despite his public image.

The distraught daughter directly appealed to the kidnappers, insisting that her family did not have the wealth they appeared to possess.

“Kidnappers, they don’t have money. It is audio money. Please leave my dad alone. Please release him. They are swimming in debt,” she said.

Defending her decision to speak publicly about the family’s financial situation, Blessing said remaining silent could lead the kidnappers to believe the family was deliberately withholding money.

“Some idiots are saying I should not talk about what I know. So you want those kidnappers to think we have money and refused to give them and kill him there? I will now become fatherless,” she wrote.

She said her primary concern was the safety of her father, who she disclosed needed his medication.

“At this point, I need to talk so they can be talking reasonably of what we can provide. Dad needs his medication and I don’t want anything to happen to my dad,” she added.

Blessing also criticised bloggers for allegedly exaggerating the family’s wealth, warning that she would challenge anyone who continued to portray them as richer than they were.

She described her brother’s decision to showcase their lifestyle on Facebook as a “biggest mistake,” insisting that the family lived a relatively simple life despite the image portrayed online.

The allegations come amid the reported kidnapping of Chief Joseph Ezeokafor, with his family seeking his safe release.

The claims made by Blessing against her brother, including the alleged debts and ransom negotiations, could not be independently verified at the time of filing this report. Jowizaza’s response to the allegations was also not immediately available.