The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Tuesday, returned four recovered title documents to victims of an elaborate land fraud scheme in Abuja.
The documents, falsified by a criminal syndicate, had deprived legitimate landowners of their properties.
A statement by the spokesman of the agency, Dele Oyewale said acting on actionable intelligence EFCC investigators dismantled the syndicate and retrieved the forged documents.
“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, January 28, 2025 handed over four landed title documents recovered from criminal syndicates to their owners. The title documents were falsified by a syndicate of land fraudsters in Abuja.
“They allegedly forged the documents and deprived the lawful owners of their property. EFCC’s investigators, working on actionable intelligence, rounded up the fraudsters and recovered the documents for the legitimate owners,” the statement partly read.
Oyewale listed the recovered titles as follows: Plot 895, Kaura District (worth N150 million), returned to Mr. Asinobi Emmanuel Ogbuefi; Plot 714, Jahi District (worth N400 million), returned to the family of the late Ambassador Joseph D. Daze; Plot 625, Guzape District (worth N200 million), returned to Mr. Nuhu Umar; and Plot 1167, Katampe Extension (worth N250 million), returned to Mr. Omar Ali Bintawa.
He said the EFCC Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, noted that the recovery of the original title documents was a product of diligent investigation by operatives of the EFCC.
The EFCC boss revealed that the syndicate forged signatures, identification documents, and passports of original land allottees to declare title documents missing and reissue them fraudulently.
“This syndicate is in the habit of forging signatures of original allottees of land. Not only do they forge their signatures, they forge their means of identification and passports of the original allottees and go ahead and declare the original title documents of those lands missing. The moment they are declared missing, they, on their own, would reapply, forge the signature and identity of the original allottee and get another title document from it”, Olukoyede was quoted as saying.
He said the EFCC boss assured that all land fraudsters in the FCT would be brought to book.
“We will not allow them to enjoy the proceeds of their crime. We are working hand-in-hand with the FCT Administration to ensure that these types of crimes don’t go unpunished”, he said.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Nuhu Umar expressed gratitude to the EFCC, stating, “We never thought this day would come. EFCC’s efforts have restored our hope and rightful ownership.”
