Police Declare Ex-Lagos Deputy Governor, Ojikutu, Wanted Over N130m Fraud

Via - Thisday 

The Special Fraud Unit (SFU), an arm of the Nigeria  Police Force, has declared a former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Alhaja Sinatu Aderoju Ojikutu, and her son, Samson Adebisi, wanted for allegedly defrauding their victim of  N130 million.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SFU, Ngozi Isintume-Agu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), the complainant had petitioned SFU Commissioner of Police, Tunde Ogunsakin, when he realised the money had been obtained from him under false pretence.

She added that Ojikutu, 67, and her son, who is currently in the United States, were declared wanted because they confessed to the crime, but jumped bail to elude further attempts to re-arrest them.

It was gathered that the former deputy governor had sold  a parcel of land at Plot 24, Block 4, situated at Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, for N130 million to the complainant, who paid the amount in tranches.

Not knowing that the parcel of land belongs to another person, the complainant was said to have developed the land and was putting final changes to the building when the bonafide owner appeared.

While speaking to THISDAY, the PRO said the CP acted based on a petition from the DIG ‘D’ Department to the Commissioner in which the petitioner alleged that in September, 2011, the suspects conspired and sold the parcel of land in contention to him under false pretences.

She said: "The victim paid into the suspect's account with the Union Bank in tranches after which he requested for the title document but Ojikutu procured an affidavit, a police crime extract and a publication in the Vanguard newspaper of October 18, 2011, all pointing to evidence of loss of the original documents of title to the land. 
"Unfortunately, the petitioner believed her because of her personality as a former deputy governor of Lagos State but the bubble burst when he was on the verge of completing the building. It was then the bonafide owner of the land surfaced and he realised the land the suspect sold does not belong to her.

"In fact, instead of Plot 24, Block 4 which already has a property on it, she actually sold Plot 23, Block 4, which belonged to one Mr. Afolabi, unlike the previous plot which belonged to her late husband,  Samson Adebisi Ojikutu Snr, but was sold by him in 1995."

The PRO added that further investigations revealed that the suspect was a witness to the initial sale of the land and appended her signature authorising the sale of the property, adding that another crime was committed by alleging the missing of the original document of the sold property.

"They perpetuated another crime by alleging that the original certificate of occupancy to the property was missing and swore an affidavit which enabled her obtain a police report and a memorandum of loss. She also put up an advert in newspapers backing her claim whereas the original document is with the Hallmark Homes, the buyer of the property," she said.

In her statement, the former deputy governor was said to have confessed that it was a genuine mistake of plot identification and at had refunded N50 million to the complainant with the promise to refund the balance as soon as she was able to sell some of her property.

After signing an undertaking and payment plan, which was drawn from September, 2012 and was to terminate by November 2012, the PRO said the victim defaulted due to lack of funds and has since jumped bail.