88-year-old man remanded in prison over N100m land fraud

An 88-year-old man, Pa Adeola Ajidahun has been remanded in prison custody by an Igbosere Magistrate Court in Lagos for allegedly defrauding over 15 people to the tune of a N100m under the pretence of selling lands to them at the Lekki Resettlement Schemes in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of the state.
Ajidahun who hails from Ekiti State was apprehended after he allegedly defrauded one Kehinde Ola to the tune of N30m. The 88-year-old, who lives at 89, Karimu Laka street, Egbeda area of the state convinced Ola into paying for a land which he alleged was allocated to him by the State government..

He was said to have produced fake documents on the said land and later took Ola to inspect the area in Lekki alongside his agent, Felix Olu Fadare. Ola, who did not suspect anything was amiss, paid for the land through his bank, unknownly, the land Ajidahun sold to him belonged to another family in the area.

Ajidahun was alleged to have defrauded several others using the land. One of his victim, Tony Ezeoke, was said to have lost over N10 million on the same land. On noticing the fraud, Ola petitioned the Anti-Special Fraud Unit, SFU, attached to the Lagos State Police Command leading to his arrest and subsequent arraignment.

The accused was arraigned for conspiracy, obtaining under false pretence and stealing under the Criminal Code. Testifying in court, the prosecutor, Mr Boniface Asogwara said the octogenarian obtained the money from Ola under the false pretence of selling plots of land at Lekki in Eti-Osa Local Government, Lagos.

The presiding Magistrate, Mrs. O. O. Oshin granted Ajidahun bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum, adding that one of the sureties must be a civil servant of level 16 and must show evident of tax clearance for three years. Ajidahun’s inability to get somebody to perfect his bail led to him been remanded in Ikoyi prison.

Oshin however adjourned the case till October.