Three Abuja land grabbers, two fraudulent firms arraigned in Court by EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrained three Abuja land grabbers and two fraudulent firms before High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, sitting in Maitama, Abuja.

The defendants allegedly swindled a woman, Lucky U. Odigie of the sum of N23,000,000 land scam, as they presented themselves as the owners or authorised sellers of the land and obtaining the money from him under false pretences.

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They are being prosecuted by the Abuja Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The defendants are; Paul Olufemi Ogunlana, Olaniyi Rufai, Dauda Bashir, Unified Luxury Homes Limited and Utopian Planning Ltd.

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They were arraigned before Justice Ngozika C. Nwabulu on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing by conversion and obtaining money under false pretence in connection with the sale of a 2.2-hectare parcel of land in Gausa District, off Airport Road, Abuja.

The EFCC stated that the defendants defrauded one Lucky U. Odigie of N23,000,000 after presenting themselves as the owners or authorised sellers of the land and obtaining the money from him under false pretences.

According to the petitioner, the defendants and their companies approached him with a purported Power of Attorney authorising them to sell the parcel of land measuring approximately 2.2 hectares and located at Gausa District, off Airport Road, Abuja.

The Power of Attorney, however, turned out to be false.

Odigie told the EFCC that the defendants represented to him that the land belonged to them and was available for sale, a representation that persuaded him to part with N23million.

The defendants were subsequently brought before the court on a two-count charge.

The first count noted that the defendants, alongside Tayo Yusuf Adeyinka, who is currently at large, conspired in 2023, within the jurisdiction of the court, to obtain N23 million from Odigie under the false pretence that they had authority to sell the 2.2-hectare parcel of land.

The charge stated that the defendants knew the representation to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 96 of the Penal Code Law, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja), 1990, and punishable under Section 97 of the same law.

The second count explained that the defendants, with intent to defraud, obtained N23 million from Odigie as payment for the purchase of the land by falsely representing that the property belonged to them and was available for sale.

The charge further stated that the representation was known to be false, contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2026.

When the charges were read to them, all the defendants pleaded not guilty.

Following their pleas, the prosecution counsel, Mariya Ujudud Sheriff, urged the court to allow the prosecution to commence trial.

Defence counsel Osaretin A. Uwangue represented the first and fourth defendants, while S. O. Yahaya represented the second defendant. Najib Adamu represented the third and fifth defendants.

All the defence counsel, however, filed applications seeking bail for their respective clients.

After listening to the submissions of the defence counsel, Justice Nwabulu granted the defendants bail in the sum of N500,000 each, with one surety each in the same amount.

The judge ordered that the sureties must be civil servants not below Grade Level 12.

Justice Nwabulu subsequently adjourned the case until September 22, 2026, for the commencement of trial.

Count one reads: “That you Olufemi Ogunlana, Tayo Yusuf Adeyinka, (now at large), Olaniyi Rufai, Dauda Bashir, Unified Luxury Homes Limited and Utopian Planning Ltd. Sometimes in 2023, within the Abuja jurisdiction of this honourable court, did agree amongst yourselves to commit an illegal act to wit: obtaining the sum of Twenty-Three Million Naira, (N23, 000,000:00 only), from Lucky. U. Odigie under the false pretence that you had authority to sell a parcel of land measuring about 2.2 hectares located at Gausa district off airport road Abuja, which representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 96 of the Penal Code Law, laws of the federation of Nigeria (Abuja), 1990 and punishable under Section 97 of the same law.”

Count two reads: “That you Paul Olufemi Ogunlana, Tayo Yusuf Adeyinka, (now at large) Olaniyi Rufai, Dauda Bashir, Unified Luxury Homes Limited and Utopian Planning Ltd, sometimes in 2023 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court with intent to defraud obtain the sum of Twenty-Three Million Naira (N23,000,000:00) from Lucky U. Odigie as payment for the purchase of a parcel of land measuring about 2.2 hectares situated at Gause District off airport road, Abuja by falsely representing that the said land belonged to you and was available for sale, which representation you knew to be false and there by committed and offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other fraud related Offence Act, 2026.”

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