An 82-year-old businessman, Mr. Ayoola Rasaki Kassim, has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, and the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, over alleged seizure of his landed property by a lawyer.
Kassim in the two-page petition, addressed to the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, and dated 28/02/2017, alleged that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Olalekan Yusuf, fraudulently acquired his landed property at No. 14, Oyetola Street, off Ajanaku Street, Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos.
He, therefore, said that in the spirit of the Federal Government’s renewed efforts to combat corruption in all ramifications, the EFCC, the police and the Lagos State governor should urgently come to his aid and assist him in reclaiming his seized property.
In the petition, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent, the octogenarian claimed that he bought the property from one Mrs. Ibironke Samuel, a daughter of a prominent leader of the defunct Action Group, late Chief S.O Shonibare, and paid her the sum of N4million in two instalments of N2million each on March 10 and April 8, 1999, respectively. Kassim added that efforts to take ownership of the property since then had hit a brick wall as Yusuf had already built a structure on the land.
The octogenarian explained that the Lagos High Court Judgement which transferred the ownership of the land to Mr. Yusuf was allegedly based on contract of assignment or deed of agreement, which contained forged signature of the seller of the of the property, Mrs. Ibironke Samuel.
Kassim supported his claim with a letter from the Forensic and Crime Data Department of the Nigeria Police, Ikoyi, Lagos, dated August 17, 2015 and signed by ASP Reginald Udunze, which declared that the contact of assignment contained a forged signature of Mrs. Samuel, the seller of the property.
The businessman explained further in his petition that Yusuf was initially a counsel to one Dr. Uche Samson, who contested and lost the ownership of the land to Mrs. Ibironke Samuel following a Lagos High Court judgement of March 9, 1999.
