Multiple female ex-employees have accused Mohamed Al Fayed, the late billionaire and former chairman of Harrods, a luxury United Kingdom (UK) department store, of rape.

Fayed died last year at the age of 94.

The BBC said a documentary and podcast — Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods — gathered evidence that during Fayed’s ownership, Harrods not only failed to intervene but helped cover up abuse allegations.

One woman said Fayed raped her at his Park Lane apartment, while another, who said the late billionaire assaulted her when she was a teenager, described him as a “monster”.

“A sexual predator with no moral compass whatsoever,” she added, saying all the staff at Harrods were his “playthings”.

“We were all so scared. He actively cultivated fear. If he said ‘jump’ employees would ask ‘how high’.”

Fayed owned Harrods for 26 years and later owned Fulham Football Club and the Paris Ritz.

Former staff told the BBC that the businessman would regularly tour the department store’s vast sales floors and identify young female assistants he found attractive, who would then be promoted to work in his offices upstairs.

The assaults would be carried out in Harrods’ offices, his London apartment, or on foreign trips—often in Paris at the Ritz hotel, which he also owned, or his nearby Villa Windsor property.

On Friday, lawyers representing the assaulted employees said many of them were aged between 19 and 24 when they started working for Fayed.

Some were as young as 15 and 16, the lawyers added.

Fayed sold Harrods to the Qatar royal family in a deal reported to be worth around 1.5 billion pounds in 2010.

The new owners issued a statement saying they were “utterly appalled” by the allegations of abuse perpetrated by Fayed.

“These were the actions of an individual who was intent on abusing his power wherever he operated, and we condemn them in the strongest terms,” the statement said.

“The Harrods of today is a very different organisation to the one owned and controlled by Al Fayed between 1985 and 2010, it is one that seeks to put the welfare of our employees at the heart of everything we do.”

The store offered its sincere apologises, saying it was prioritising settling claims in the quickest way possible to avoid “lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved”.

Forbes said Fayed’s net worth was around $2 billion when he died.

Umo Eno, the governor of Akwa Ibom, has handed over a “remodeled fully-furnished six-bedroom bungalow” to the family of Abigael Frederick, the makeup artiste who died in a boat mishap in Delta.

Abigael died alongside actor Junior Pope and some other crew members in April after their boat capsized inside River Niger in Asaba. They were on their way to a movie location.

Her body was recovered from the water days after the fatal incident.

Eno had promised to “remodel” her family’s house and sponsor her siblings’ education during his condolence visit in April.

In a Facebook post on Friday, the governor revealed he has renovated the house to a six-bedroom bungalow “which is fully furnished”.

Eno said he also donated a business support grant of N1 million to the family and an additional N1 million as an educational grant to her siblings

The governor said he was committed to the promise “for humanity, not political reasons”. He urged people to be empathetic to each other.

“Today, I fulfilled a commitment made to the family of the late Nollywood makeup artist Abigail Edith Frederick by handing over a newly remodeled and fully furnished six-bedroom bungalow in Ikot Udoma, Eket,” he wrote.

“In addition to the home, I also provided the family with a business support grant of one million naira and another one million naira as an educational grant to her younger sisters.

“Back in February, during my personal visit to the family, I promised not only to renovate their home but also to offer automatic employment to Abigail’s elder sister and extend educational support.

“Today marks the completion of that promise. I believe in standing by our people during their most challenging moments, and my administration remains committed to the well-being of every Akwa Ibomite, not for political reasons but for humanity.

“Let’s continue to work together to lift each other up and show that true leadership is about empathy, action, and the collective good.”

Davido, the Grammy-nominated Afrobeats star, has purchased a new Lexus SUV for Tunde Yussuf, his personal driver.

On Thursday, Yussuf, who is also a tour assistant to the singer, shared a photo of the Lexus RX with his 18000 followers on Instagram.

The driver, who is also referred to as Doro DMW, expressed his appreciation for the gift. He also showered prayers on Davido.

“Congratulations to me🙏🙏🙏🙏 God bless you 001 my boss @davido You no go ever fall my oga. OBO DAN DO AM AGAIN,” he wrote.