The police in Abuja have faced allegations of stonewalling enforcement of a court order against an ally of Inspector General Kayode Egbetokun. 

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. A court directive for the anti-graft EFCC to take over the assets and return to the rightful owner was frustrated by the police on Ms Aliyu’s behalf. 

The Yesufu family, including Alhaja Colleen Yesufu, said Ms Aliyu has been reckless because of her alleged ties to Mr Egbetokun, who was appointed to take over police leadership by President Bola Tinubu in 2023. 

An August 18, 2023, petition by the Yesufus said they received a suspicious phone call regarding the purported sale of assets on their property in Guzape District, about 10 kilometres southeast of Abuja citi centre. The caller said that the developer had shown them a right of occupancy and power of attorney, allegedly signed by Colleen Mero Yesufu, and that the information was obtained from documents uploaded on the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) website.

The Yesufu family later discovered that unknown individuals had illegally trespassed on their property and were carrying out aggressive development, offering the same assets to unsuspecting buyers. The family also found that their property file at AGIS had been fraudulently altered, with a forged power of attorney and other fake documents uploaded in favour of Rebecca Omokamo Godwin Isaac.

The Yesufus inquiries at the Development Control Department further revealed that the criminal syndicate had used the forged documents uploaded to the AGIS system to fraudulently apply for and obtain a building plan approval in March 2023 without the consent or authority of the family. They also discovered that this same lady is behind four other similar fraudulently developed properties on plots all within the Guzape District with forged title documents targeting mainly aged and elderly citizens with undeveloped plots, who they believed to be too old to fight or possibly dead.

The family members said they had never put their property up for sale, nor had they begun developing it or contracted any purported developer. They remain in the physical custody of the original statutory right of occupancy, power of attorney, and all relevant documents.

Despite reporting the incident to AGIS and the Development Control Department, the Yesufu family expressed limited confidence in the investigation and outcome, as they suspected that the “egregious infractions, now becoming a trend across the FCT, could not have occurred without the active connivance of some staff or officials within these FCTA agencies”. The said Ms Aliyu continued to build without any approval despite the purported revocation of the fradulently acquired building plan approval.

A report by the FCTA General Counsel’s Office in respect of Plot 4022, Guzape District, Cadastral Zone AO9, which recommended demolishing the fraudulent structure, was subsequently approved by the FCT Minister in January 2024 for full implementation. It revealed that In order to have a holistic approach to the facts at issue, a meeting was held on September 12, 2023, with representatives from the Department of Development Control, Lands Administration and the lawyers for the Yesufu family. Ms Aliyu, who often represents herself as Omokamo Godwin Isaac, alongside her company Homadil Realty, was absent from the meeting and subsequent meetings.

According to records from the Lands Department, Plot 1802 was initially allocated to Amina Musa Usman of 19, Sabon Gari, Jega, Kebbi State, measuring approximately 2221.48 square metres at Cadastral Zone A09 Guzape District, covered by offer of statutory right of occupancy dated August 18, 2009. 

The asset was later redesignated as Plot 4022 due to a boundary adjustment, and a right of occupancy was issued to Colleen Mero Yesufu, who presented a power of attorney. It was signed by Amina Musa Usman, the original allotee with requisite affidavits and guarantees provided.

Yet, another power of attorneyin favour of Rebecca Omokamo Godwin Isaac was also listed on the AGIS system with little corresponding documentary evidence. However, further investigation revealed that this second power of attorney was fake. It was fraudulently captured in the system but could not be verified, as it was registered under a different plot in favour of Imurat International Limited as far back as 2011.

The representative from the Lands Department confirmed that Amina Musa Usman’s original allocation is still subsisting and has not been revoked, and the land has not been officially allocated to any other party.

The report concluded that the Development Control should seal the property pending demolition, and the police be invited to identify the belligerent FCTA staff involved in this violation of the AGIS system.

Abuja police commissioner at the time ordered the arrest of the trespassers and sealing of the disputed land in line with request of the FCTA authorities on November 17, 2023. They were all released within 30 minutes on the orders of the IGP with no explanation or investigation conducted. Mr Egbetokun was accused of backing his female friend in her brazen illegality. 

The Yesufu family, represented by their lawyers, Falana & Falana Chambers, filed several petitions against Ms Aliyu and her firm Homadil Reality Limited. Despite several petitions to the IGP’s office, the IGP and police refused to act, prompting the family to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The EFCC commenced an extensive investigation and appears to have uncovered the notorious land grabbers and their methods. Ms Aliyu also declined to honour the anti-graft agency’s invitation. The EFCC subsequently sealed the property in April 2024, but Ms Aliyu and her husband filed a fundamental rights enforcement action against the EFCC, seeking to restrain the agency from inviting her for questioning.

In their documents filed in court, they claimed to have acquired the Guzape land in 2015 before they got married. 

However, the court ruled that she must submit herself for investigation before the EFCC. Despite the court judgement, she continued to remain in hiding and avoided going to defend her newfound wealthy lifestyle before the EFCC. The suspect, aided by the police under Mr Egbetokun, wiped off all the EFCC markings and continued developing the land in defiance of the FCTA, the courts and the EFCC.

Ms Aliyu also used officers of police intelligence response team (IRT) to harass and intimidate the Yesufu family and their associates.

The bewildered Yesufus decried the use of taxpayer’s resources to harass and intimidate law-abiding citizens like them, even when the available records showed they were acting in line with the law.

Mr Egbetokun and Ms Aliyu did not return requests seeking comments.