Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun has been dragged in a contentious land grab case in the Guzape area of Abuja.
Egbetokun was alleged protecting the suspected primary perpetrators, who are reportedly his close allies and business associates.
Bilikisu Ishaqu Aliyu, alias Rebecca Omokamo Godwin Isaac, was accused in court filings of stealing a lucrative piece of land from a middle-class family in Guzape, Abuja.
According to People’s Gazette, a court directive for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to take over the assets and return them to the rightful owner was frustrated by the police on Ms Aliyu’s behalf.
On August 18, 2023, the Yesufu family and Alhaja Colleen Yesufu filed a petition revealing they received a suspicious phone call regarding the supposed sale of flats on their property in Guzape District.
The caller claimed the developer had shown a Right of Occupancy and Power of Attorney, allegedly signed by Colleen Mero Yesufu, information supposedly obtained from documents on the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) website.
The Yesufu family’s further investigation uncovered that unknown individuals had illegally trespassed on their property and were aggressively developing it, selling it in its unfinished state to unsuspecting buyers.
They also discovered that their property file at AGIS had been fraudulently altered, with forged documents uploaded in favour of Rebecca Omokamo Godwin Isaac.
Inquiries at the Development Control Department revealed that the criminal syndicate had used the forged documents to fraudulently apply for and obtain a Building Plan Approval in March 2023, without the consent of the Yesufu family.
The family discovered that Rebecca Omokamo Godwin Isaac was behind four other similar fraudulent property developments within the Guzape District, targeting mainly elderly citizens with undeveloped plots.
Meanwhile, despite an order from the FCT Commissioner of Police to arrest the trespassers and seal the disputed land, they were released within 30 minutes on the orders of the IGP, with no further investigation conducted.
Also, the EFCC commenced an investigation, uncovering the syndicate’s modus operandi and their accomplices within FCTA departments.
Despite an EFCC order to seal the property in April 2024, Rebecca Omokamo and her husband filed a court action to restrain the EFCC from questioning her. The court ruled she must submit to the investigation, but she remained in hiding.
The investigation revealed that Omokamo used officers from the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Nigeria Police Force to harass and intimidate the Yesufu family and their associates.
