Monday, March 10, 2025 -A legal battle over a prime piece of land in Abuja has taken a new turn as lawyer, Alexander Oketa, has petitioned the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged misconduct by some of the commission’s officials.
In a letter, Oketa accused EFCC operatives of unlawfully seizing and
sealing off a property at Plot 680-689, Cadastral Zone Bo6, Mabushi, Abuja,
despite multiple court rulings affirming Jona Brothers Construction Limited and
its partner, Uche Vincent, as the rightful owners.
The lawyer alleged that the EFCC’s interference in the land dispute,
which has been ongoing for over six years between Jona Brothers Construction
Limited and Chief Michael Adeojo, the owner of Elizade Motors, amounts to a
blatant disregard for judicial pronouncements.
He further claimed that EFCC officials acted outside their legal mandate
by forcefully evicting workers, padlocking the property, and threatening
arrests, all in favor of Adeojo—an individual the courts had repeatedly ruled
against.
In the petition, which was submitted and acknowledged at the EFCC
headquarters on March 7, 2025, Oketa called on the anti-graft agency’s chairman
to rein in his officers and respect the rule of law.
He warned that failure to act within 48 hours would prompt legal
escalations, including petitions to the National Judicial Council (NJC), the
National Security Adviser, the National Assembly, and other relevant
authorities.
“Please recall our earlier letter to the Commission dated 22nd April,
2024, informing you of the judgement of His Lordship, Hon. Justice Ibrahim
Mohammed in JONA BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION LTD & 3 ORS V. EFCC & 3 ORS,
SUIT NO. FCT/HC/CV/42/2023, which perpetually restrained the Commission and any
entity acting on its behalf from arresting, dispossessing or seizing the above
mentioned property from our clients, or engaging in any act inimical to our
clients’ ownership, use and occupation of the said property, unless the
judgement of Justice S.U Bature is set aside by an appellate court.
“It has come to the knowledge of our clients that some recalcitrant
officers of the Commission (EFCC) led by one Mr. Olayinka Macaulay of the
Property & Fraud Unit, Area 11, Abuja, on the 6th day of March, 2025,
unlawfully stormed the said property; stopped ongoing approved construction on
site; padlocked the gate; chased away our Clients and workers from the
property; marked the property with the inscription ‘EFCC KEEP OFF’; and
threatened to arrest our Clients and the workers if they dare return to the property;
on the basis that they (Mr. Olayinka Macaulay and his men, Police Officers) are
enforcing an Interim Forfeiture Order granted to the Commission (EFCC) by Hon.
Justice Nwite of the Federal High Court.
“Our Client’s building materials and equipment worth Billions of Naira
have been exposed to theft, demurrage and expiration by the unlawful activities
of Olayinka Macaulay, at the behest and pleasure of our Client’s defeated
opponent, Chief Michael Adeojo, whom the prosecutors, SYLVANUS TAHIR, SAN;
ELIZABETH ALABI, ESQ; AND M.I BUBA, ESQ, declared as the true owner against the
judgements of the FCT High Courts.
“For your education Sir, Court Orders are only enforceable by the
Sheriff of the Federal High Court, and not by the personal whims and caprices
of the Commission, particularly when the Commission is a party to the ongoing
forfeiture proceedings. Interestingly, our Clients contacted the Registry of
the Federal High Court, Abuja, and the Registry categorically distanced itself
from the illegal enforcement of the said interim Order, especially as our
Client’s application to set aside the interim forfeiture is pending.
“For your further education Sir, the Judgement of Ibrahim Mohammed is
the latest and takes precedence over and above the Interim Order secretly
obtained by the Commission without the joinder, knowledge, participation and
service and/or publication of the said Order in any of the national dailies.
The Commission is further challenged to provide any evidence of service of the
said Interim Order on our Clients.
“It is quite unfortunate, appalling and shameful that the Commission
once perceived to be a model to other sister agencies in the country, has
degenerated into a cartel wherein, officers of the Commission now seizing
properties and handling same to our opponent, Chief Michael Adeojo, who we have
repeatedly defeated in Courts.
“We humbly urge you to urgently call the concerned EFCC officials to
Order and forestall the imminent clash of the judgement and Orders of the
Court, as our Clients shall equally be relying on the judgement and Order in
their favour to utilise every legally conceivable means to protect its adjudged
property,” parts of the petition read.
The Lawyer also threatened to ventilate the grievances to the “National
Judicial Council (NJC), the National Security Adviser, the National Assembly,
the Attorney-General of the Federation, the National Human Rights Commission
and other relevant government functionaries”, if the EFCC Chairman refuses to
take action within 48 hours.
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