When Nigerian businessman Nick Imudia arrived in Kenya in 2022 to take up a top corporate role at d.light, he had one mission: to steer the company and build a new life far from home.
He joined the renewable energy provider as Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), a position he held at the company’s Nairobi office from October 2022.
Imudia led the innovator in the distribution and financing of residential solar energy solutions and transformational household products.
However, in less than two years, his life ended under unclear circumstances while on a business trip in Nigeria. According to a police report, he died by suicide.
Imudia was said to have jumped from the balcony of his apartment in the Lekki area of Lagos State on the evening of Tuesday, June 25, 2024.
Years later, his family is still seeking answers, alleging that the late executive was trapped in a web of secrecy, intimidation, and emotional pressure before his death.
According to the family’s lawyer, Kelvin Kipchirchir, at the centre of the storm was a romantic relationship between the late chief executive and his secretary and personal assistant, Diana Kaveza — a relationship he claimed spiralled into blackmail, coercion, and financial demands.
Diana Kaveza.
“Sometime around early 2025, I got a brief. I was contacted by a client from the United States, one Godfrey Imudia. When I sought to find out what the case was about, I came to realise that the matter concerned Nick Imudia, who resided and worked in Kenya before his demise. I then sought to understand the background of the matter,” he said.
Mr Kipchirchir said the family suspected there was more to Imudia’s death and began tracing his final moments.
What initially appeared to be a private tragedy soon unfolded into something far more complicated.
Discovery of WhatsApp conversations
In a bid to unravel the truth, the family went through Imudia’s belongings and gadgets, including a laptop, in search of clues that could explain his sudden death.
It was during this process that the family discovered WhatsApp conversations stored on the laptop.
The evidence provided by the family showed that Kaveza was tasked with managing Imudia’s schedule and was trusted to scout locations where they would meet privately.
Diana Kaveza.
During the relationship, Kaveza claimed she was pregnant. Being a married man, Imudia reportedly told her he did not wish to play a role in the pregnancy.
From the evidence on record, the two appeared to disagree over how Kaveza became pregnant despite claiming she had been using family planning.
“I have never failed to take my pill in a single day,” read part of Kaveza’s messages.
According to Kipchirchir, the relationship gradually shifted from romance into manipulation. Kaveza allegedly secretly recorded intimate encounters without Imudia’s knowledge or consent, with the intention of later using the material to blackmail him.
The threats, he claimed, included exposing the affair and the pregnancy to Imudia’s wife and even members of the company’s board.
Late Nigerian businessman Nick Imudia.
“The intimate moments were recorded over a long period of time. It is now becoming apparent that she took the recordings with premeditated criminal intent to later use the material to extort and blackmail the CEO,” said Kipchirchir.
Financial demands and NDA
The situation worsened over time.
Kaveza used the purported pregnancy to dictate how she would perform her official duties at d.light, taking time off work while seeking favours, including reassignment to better-paying roles.
“I can work as a Human Resource Business Partner instead of Human Resource Accounting. The guy who was there was on a one-year contract which must have ended or soon will, then the pay can be Sh200,000 instead of Sh115,000,” read another message.
In another WhatsApp exchange, Kaveza told Imudia that she would no longer continue protecting him, adding that they needed to reach an agreement by April 2024.
Kaveza also reportedly informed Imudia that she had attended a doctor’s appointment where she was told she was expecting a son. She told him that, according to their culture, only he could give their son a surname.
“Meanwhile, our family lawyer is working through the details and will let you know once everything is okay,” Kaveza said.
Imudia reportedly insisted it would be difficult to discuss child support before the child was born and informed her that he would have to hire a lawyer to draft the support agreement.
“If I don’t hear from your lawyer before March 20, we will do things my way,” read a message Kaveza sent on March 18, 2024.
The negotiations culminated in an agreement stipulating that Imudia would not be involved in matters relating to the pregnancy or the child after birth.
The two later formalised the arrangement through their respective lawyers by drafting a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), which stated that Imudia would provide a one-time payment for the child’s education.
They agreed on Sh8.5 million to be paid in three instalments over two months.
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“Kaveza and Imudia entered into the non-disclosure agreement under coercion. The vicious cycle continued and Imudia was on the receiving end of financial demands and personal favours. In some way, he convinced himself there was no way out and that he had to comply with the demands being made,” said the family advocate.
Final messages before death
The records show that Kaveza later informed Imudia that the non-disclosure agreement no longer held, arguing that other people were already aware of the matter.
On June 24, 2024, she told him she intended to send files, including photos and video evidence relating to their relationship, to his wife.
Imudia’s response was brief: “You have won.”
According to messages exchanged between Imudia and his advocate, Ms Linda Aluvale, Imudia said that “if Kaveza won’t stop, she would have won.”
In another message, he reportedly told the lawyer: “She already told my wife.”
Linda urged him not to make conclusions before they could confirm the breach of the NDA, but Imudia reportedly cut her short.
“I know my wife of 20 years, this is the end for me, they have won, but keep fighting for me even after….”
On the evening of June 25, 2024, amid what the conversations portrayed as sustained and escalating pressure, Imudia jumped from his apartment building, ending his life.
Family questions slow investigations
After analysing the material, including the WhatsApp conversations and other surrounding circumstances, the family reported the matter to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
Imudia’s brothers — Godfrey Imudia, Antony Imudia and Martins Imudia — reported claims of blackmail and extortion to the DCI.
Key persons of interest, including Kaveza and other colleagues at d.light who knew Imudia personally, were summoned to record statements.
At some point, however, the investigation reportedly stalled, with no communication from the DCI regarding the findings or whether an inquiry file had been forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for recommendations on possible charges.
Kipchirchir said he sought to establish the reason for the delay and personally visited DCI offices in search of answers from investigators, but none had been forthcoming.
“After analysing evidence, it is clear that a crime was committed. One of the key persons of interest, Kaveza, took explicit recordings with the intention to blackmail and extort the late CEO, which is evident from their chats. Whenever she was unable to obtain professional or personal favours, she would become extremely angry and constantly threaten to expose the CEO,” he claimed.
The advocate also questioned why the agreement was rushed before any DNA test had been conducted to establish paternity.
Nearly two years after Imudia’s death, questions continue to surround the pace of investigations by the DCI. Despite the existence of digital communication, recordings, correspondences, admissions, and a formal complaint by the family, there has been no visible prosecutorial direction in the matter.
Sources familiar with the case said that the slow pace of investigations may be linked to concerns surrounding a multi-million-shilling insurance payout tied to a South African insurer.
“We know our brother won’t look good after this. He slept with his secretary and got her pregnant, but that is immaterial for now. Let the police focus on the fact that he was blackmailed, which led to his death,” said Martins.
“As a family, we feel deeply frustrated. Our only hope for justice rested on the DCI conducting thorough investigations within a reasonable timeframe and prosecuting any persons found culpable. However, it has turned into a money-minting affair where we are paying for almost everything,” said Godfrey, who resides in the US.
Career and legacy
Born on April 28, 1979, in Delta State, Imudia earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Industrial Management from Mikkeli Institute of Technology in 1997 and a Master of Engineering degree from Aalborg University in 2000.
Twelve years later, he earned an MBA in International Business Management from Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences.
With experience as a design engineer and solutions manager at NTC and Nokia respectively, Imudia later rose to become managing director at Nokia.
In that role, he oversaw sales and marketing operations and supervised the management of Nokia’s device business and operations in West and Central Africa.
After eight years at Nokia, Imudia became Regional Director of Alcatel OneTouch in Nigeria and Central Africa.
Following his exit from Alcatel, he became CEO of Konga, a position he held from April 2018 to October 2022.
Throughout his career, Imudia built a reputation for developing and executing successful business strategies, with a keen understanding of market trends and a knack for leveraging innovative solutions.
