According to him, he was directed to investigate the case following a petition written by the businessman to the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigeria Police, Ikoyi, Lagos and counterpetition written by the complainant to the Inspector General of Police (IGP). He said: “Initially it was the businessman who wrote a petition to the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) against the complainant, Mr. Awolaja, the first son of the late woman. Based on the petition, Mr Awolaja was arrested, detained and interrogated by the police while other defendants wrote statements at the SFU as witnesses in support of Olubeko’s claim over ownership of the land against the complainant. “However, Mr. Awolaja wrote a counter- petition to the IGP and the case was initially assigned to the Commissioner of Police at the Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCIID), Alagbon, Ikoyi Lagos. It was later assigned to my team following a signal from the IGP that the case files should be harmonized. “We harmonized the case files and invited all parties involved in the matter but Olubeko refused to honour our invitation until he was declared wanted. “In the course of investigation, facts about how the defendants went to the bank to complete the transaction and how they impersonated the deceased to sell her land to Olubeko with a forged C of O, was revealed. “In the course of investigating the matter, an official of the State Ministry of Lands, Olanipekun Cole, told us that it was the photocopy of the original C of O in the file at the ministry that was illegally removed and cloned by the defendants to sell the land.” The police officer said he was dismayed that despite the role played by the businessman in the perpetration of the alleged crime, he was not prosecuted as recommended. Bello was arraigned alongside Chukwu Victor, Friday Palmer and Osumah Terry on October 30, 2017 by the Lagos State Government on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, fraud and forgery. They however denied committing the alleged offences. All the defendants were alleged to have committed the offences sometime in December 2001 at Lekki Peninsula Scheme 1, Lagos.]]>

"Exciting news! TheNigeriaLawyer is now on WhatsApp Channels 🚀 Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest legal insights!" Click here! ....................................................................................................................... Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material and other digital content on this website, in whole or in part, without express and written permission from TheNigeriaLawyer, is strictly prohibited _________________________________________________________________ [Register Now] ILA Nigeria Branch Marks 10 Years With Infrastructure Financing As Theme For 7th Annual Conference The International Law Association - Nigeria Branch 7th annual conference on public-private partnerships for sustainable infrastructure financing, April 4-5 in Abuja. Details: https://ilanigeria.org.ng/conference _________________________________________________________________

NIALS' Compendia Series: Your One-Stop Solution For Navigating Nigerian Laws (2004-2023)

Email: info@nials.edu.ng, tugomak@yahoo.co.uk, Contact: For Inquiry and information, kindly contact, NIALS Director of Marketing: +2348074128732, +2348100363602.