The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama is expected to continue hearing on Tuesday the trial of three men and two companies accused of defrauding a buyer of N23 million over a parcel of land in Abuja.
The Abuja Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arraigned Paul Olufemi Ogunlana, Olaniyi Rufai, Dauda Bashir, Unified Luxury Homes Limited and Utopian Planning Ltd before Justice Ngozika C. Nwabulu on 18 August.
The commission alleged that the defendants presented themselves as owners or authorised sellers of a 2.2-hectare parcel in Gausa District, off Airport Road, and obtained the sum from the complainant, Lucky U. Odigie, in 2023 for its purchase. According to the EFCC, the defendants approached him with a power of attorney which they claimed gave them authority to sell the land.
They face a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing by conversion and obtaining money by false pretence, under Sections 96 and 97 of the Penal Code Law of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja), 1990. All the defendants pleaded not guilty. Justice Nwabulu granted each bail of N500,000 with one surety in the same sum, and adjourned the matter to 22 September. A fourth man named in the charge, Tayo Yusuf Adeyinka, is said to be at large.
The case is one of several Abuja land fraud prosecutions before the courts. In a separate matter, the EFCC is prosecuting estate developer Godwin-Isaac Rebecca Omokamo, her husband Isaac Yusuf Ishaku, Homadil Realty Limited and others over an alleged N500 million fraud involving plots in the Katampe and Guzape districts. That trial was adjourned to 26 October.
Oyewo Olalekan, General Manager at Arrayhan Properties, a real estate firm with offices in Abuja and Lagos, said buyers can avoid most such disputes by conducting an independent title search before payment.
“A power of attorney only tells you what someone claims they can do. It does not tell you who actually holds the title, and that is the one question a buyer must answer before any money changes hands,” he said. “A search at AGIS costs a small fraction of what these buyers have lost, yet most people skip it because the seller is in a hurry.”
He advised prospective buyers to verify titles at the Abuja Geographic Information Systems, engage their own legal practitioner rather than one proposed by the seller, and avoid payments made directly to intermediaries.
He added that pressure to pay quickly should itself be treated as a warning sign, saying legitimate sellers allow time for verification.
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