Nigeria’s business magnate Aliko Dangote was involved in alleged rape and psychological manipulation of the wife of a businessman Kevin Ajenifuja, with an intention to steal his trade secrets, court documents obtained by Peoples Gazette said.

Mr Ajenifuja said he had developed the technique and process of a sector exchange-traded funds for Africa in June 2004, after over 10 years of research. 

In a lawsuit filed by the businessman on August 2, 2019, Mr Dangote allegedly made arrangements on how Mr Ajenifuja’s 22-weeks pregnant wife was drugged and how young men slept with her with the intention of stealing his trade secrets.

Mr Ajenifuja alleged that Mr Dangote connived with some World Bank Group employees, precisely on February 8, 2010, to invite his then wife to a meeting at a Catholic mission in Washington, D.C., area where she was allegedly given illicit drugs.

The Gazette also learnt in the lawsuit that Ms Anita was also given opioid medications on a regular basis, which she became addicted to. She subsequently engaged in extramarital affairs with young men near Washington, and the troubling situation was subsequently used to blackmail her into turning against her husband until she handed over his trade secrets to Mr Dangote.

The World Bank denied the allegations and the court rejected Mr Ajenifuja’s lawsuit because it was statute barred.

A spokesman for Mr Dangote declined comments about the lawsuit when reached by The Gazette on Wednesday afternoon.

The businessman only confirmed the theft of his trade secrets in December 2016 after several investigations.

While Africa’s richest man’s alleged actions caused issues between the plaintiff and his wife, Mr Dangote resigned as the President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 2014, a year before the expiration of his term, “to conceal his involvement,” the lawsuit said.

Mr Dangote took many by surprise in 2014 when he announced his intention to step down as the president during the 53rd annual meeting of the NSE held in Lagos, making him the first to step down before the end of his term.

“On information and belief Defendant Dangote resigned to conceal his involvement in what happened to Plaintiff and Anita Koepcke,” Mr Ajenifuja said in court documents.

Mr Dangote had cited the need to have more time for the execution of his companies’ expansion across Africa as the basis for his resignation.

Mr Ajenifuja said it was around December 20, 2014, that he searched for the missing copies of the trade secrets and suspected that they had been stolen by Mr Dangote via Anita.

Mr Ajenifuja alleged that the trade secrets were sold to Vetiva Funds Managers Limited, Lagos, one Mr Dangote had a close business relationship with.

Vetiva Sector Series Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) comprising the Vetiva Banking ETF, Vetiva Consumer Goods ETF, and Vetiva Industrial ETF was announced on July 7, 2015.

A spokesperson for Vetiva could not be reached for comments throughout Wednesday.

Mr Ajenifuja said the affairs caused “severe emotional suffering because his home was foreclosed by the mortgage company as a result of loss of income,” the documents said.

Mr Ajenifuja also demanded $1 billion as the least compensatory damages against Mr Dangote and others for the alleged theft of his trade secrets.

In their separate motions, the WBG sought to dismiss the case on the grounds that it was immune from suit, while Mr Dangote sought for dismissal for lack of personal jurisdiction.