Cubana Group faults link to ex-Liberian VP’s case
The Cubana Group has rejected attempts to link its Chairman, Chief Obinna Iyiegbu, popularly known as Obi Cubana, to the drug trafficking and money laundering allegations currently facing former Liberian Vice-President Jewel Howard-Taylor, insisting that a 2021 meeting between them was part of a legitimate and openly conducted trade and investment mission.
The clarification followed the resurfacing on social media of photographs showing Howard-Taylor with Obi Cubana, businessman Emeka Okonkwo, popularly known as E-Money, and real estate entrepreneur Kennedy “Ned” Okonkwo during a visit to Liberia in 2021.
Howard-Taylor was arrested on August 19, 2026, while reportedly attempting to leave Liberia through Roberts International Airport and was subsequently charged with offences including the alleged unlicensed importation, sale, distribution and transportation of controlled substances, drug trafficking, criminal solicitation, criminal facilitation, criminal conspiracy and money laundering.
The allegations remain subject to judicial determination.
Following her arrest, attention returned to some of her previous political and business engagements, including the October 2021 visit by prominent Nigerian businessmen and socialites to Monrovia.
The Cubana Group, however, said the resurfaced photographs should not be used to suggest any connection between Obi Cubana and the allegations now confronting the former Liberian vice-president.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the group described the 2021 visit as a “legitimate and openly conducted trade and investment mission” intended to explore investment opportunities and deepen commercial relationships between Nigerian and Liberian businesses.
According to the group, the delegation examined possible opportunities in tourism, hospitality, real estate, agriculture, youth development and other sectors.
It maintained that there was nothing secret or suspicious about the meeting with Howard-Taylor because she was then the duly serving Vice-President of Liberia and was actively involved in efforts to attract investors to the country.
“The meeting was not hidden. Photographs from the engagement were publicly circulated, the purpose of the visit was publicly discussed, and the business and investment objectives of the delegation were reported in the media,” the group said.
The Cubana Group also referred to comments made by Howard-Taylor herself in a May 2023 interview published by Global News Network Liberia.
In the interview, Howard-Taylor was asked about Obi Cubana’s visit and issues surrounding reports of his business discussions in Liberia.
She reportedly explained that the businessman travelled to Liberia as part of a broader trade delegation made up of people exploring investment opportunities, particularly in the tourism sector.
“As it relates to Business Tycoon Obi Cubana, he came to Liberia for the first time as mentioned in search of business opportunities in the tourism sector. He was a delegate on a trade mission with many others who had similar ideas,” Howard-Taylor was quoted as saying.
She reportedly added that her responsibility as vice-president included showcasing Liberia’s investment opportunities and encouraging investors and legitimate partnerships capable of contributing to the country’s economic development.
The Cubana Group said that account was consistent with reports published around the time of the 2021 visit.
It also cited a November 2021 account by Nigerian writer Hope Eghagha, which described a delegation of the African Children’s Talent Discovery Foundation hosted by Howard-Taylor.
According to the report, Kennedy Okonkwo, Obi Cubana, Kcee and E-Money were among those who attended a corporate lunch with members of Liberia’s business community.
Discussions during the visit reportedly included possible investment in agriculture and proposals for the development of a five-star hotel.
The Cubana Group argued that nothing in the reports surrounding the 2021 trip established any relationship between the visiting Nigerian businessmen and the alleged criminal conduct now attributed to Howard-Taylor.
It described attempts to connect both events as speculative and unfair.
“Chief (Dr.) Obinna Iyiegbu and the Cubana Group cannot reasonably be expected to have anticipated in 2021 allegations that would arise against a former public official in 2026,” the organisation said.
It further argued that meeting a serving public official during an official investment or trade engagement cannot, without more, constitute evidence of participation in that official’s later alleged conduct.
“Attempting to create such an impression through photographs of a publicly acknowledged business meeting risks replacing facts with insinuation and guilt by association,” the group stated.
The organisation added that Obi Cubana and his business associates routinely interact with government officials, investors, private-sector leaders and other stakeholders in different countries as part of legitimate efforts to identify business opportunities, build partnerships and expand their operations internationally.
According to the Cubana Group, such engagements are an ordinary and necessary part of conducting business across different jurisdictions.
It therefore urged media organisations and members of the public to assess the 2021 Liberia visit on the basis of what was known and documented at the time rather than attaching subsequent allegations against Howard-Taylor to persons who previously met her in an official capacity.
The group said that where competent authorities establish wrongdoing against any individual, responsibility should be determined through evidence, investigation and due process.
It maintained that criminal allegations against a former public official should not automatically cast suspicion on businesspeople or other individuals who had legitimate dealings with the official before such allegations arose.
The Cubana Group consequently insisted that the photographs now circulating online do not establish any connection between Obi Cubana and the offences with which Howard-Taylor has reportedly been charged.
It reaffirmed its commitment to legitimate business, investment, job creation, youth development and the expansion of African enterprises into international markets, while cautioning against narratives that could create an impression of criminal association merely from previously public and documented business engagements.
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