The Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police on Tuesday arrested a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Alhaja Sinatu Ojikutu.
The 67-year-old, who was declared wanted by the
SFU on June 19, 2013, for allegedly obtaining N130m from one Cajethan Okekearu,
under the guise of selling a plot of land at Admiralty Way, Lekki, Lagos, was
arrested at her Lagos Island residence.
In a statement by the SFU Commissioner of Police,
Mr.Tunde Ogunsakin, Ojikutu was said to have allegedly connived with her son,
Samson Ojikutu Jnr, currently in the United States, to commit the fraud.
The statement reads in part, “The suspect
and her son were parties to the sale of the land and both signed the agreement
given to Okekerau and obtained the sum of N130m from him.
“She admitted the crime, but claimed that it was
a genuine mistake of plot identification. After refunding N50m to Okekearu, she
promised to refund the balance as soon as she disposed her two properties she
put up for sale.
“She equally made an undertaking and
payment plan which was drawn from September, 2012 and was to terminate by
November 2012, but she defaulted.”
It was learnt that Okekearu became aware of
the fraud after he commenced development on the land. He was said to be on the
verge of completing the building when the bonafide owner of the land surfaced.
It was later discovered that the land which the
ex-deputy governor sold did not belong to her. She actually sold Plot 23
Block 4, said to belong to one Mr. Afolabi, while her plot, 24 Block 4, already
had a property on it.
It was also discovered that the plot belonged to
late Samson Ojikutu Snr, the suspect’s husband who died in 2008. The plot was
sold by him in 1995, while the suspect appended her signature to the sale of
the land.
The statement added, “It will be recalled that
the suspect sued the Inspector-General of Police, the Commissioner of Police,
SFU and the complainants in the State High Court at Igbosere, Lagos, with Suit
No. M/581/2013, praying the court to restrain the police from further
investigation into the matter and violation of fundamental human right.
“The ruling by Justice Obadina on December 17,
2013, dismissed the suit for lack of merit, saying the Nigeria Police has the
power to prosecute the applicants, Sinatu and her son, Samson, since the police
investigation revealed that there is prima-facie case of obtaining by false
pretences against them and added that the court would not interfere or restrain
the police from carrying out their statutory function.”
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