A 79-year-old widow, Hajia Colleen Mero Yesufu, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently address the institutional misconduct she is currently experiencing in a protracted land fraud case she reported to the Nigeria Police Force and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The 79-year-old widow informed the President that her properties in Guzape and Katampe districts of Abuja were fraudulently converted and sold off by Rebecca Omokamo Godwin Isaac, an alleged known close associate of the Inspector General of Police.
Speaking through her Solicitor, Chief Maxwell Chibuike Opara Esq, Yesufu also called on the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) to urgently take over the case, noting that she has lost total confidence in both the EFCC and the NPF.
According to the widow her ordeal is a glaring indictment of the systemic failures that enable fraud and injustice in Nigeria, adding that, despite being the rightful owner of Plot 4022, Guzape District, and Plots 1861, 1862, and 1863, Katampe District, with all legal titles and bills duly paid, she has faced egregious obstruction of justice by the very institutions sworn to protect her.
Yesufu urged the President and the AGF to compel the EFCC to publish the interim forfeiture orders from two courts presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite on December 20, 2024, and Justice Obiora Atuegwu Egwuatu on March 7, 2025, regarding the matter.
Noting that an initial petition to the FCT Police Commissioner on September 4, 2023, led to arrests on November 17, 2023, the widow regretted that the investigations were abruptly halted, allegedly on the instructions of the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
“Despite FCTA Stop Work Notices since August 2023 and a Withdrawal of Building Approval Notice in October 2023, the suspect allegedly continued building on the disputed property with overt protection from armed police officers.
“This protection persisted even after the EFCC marked the property in April and June 2024. On March 6, 2025, the then FCT Police
Commissioner, Mr. Tunji Disu, allegedly arrived at the property to “rescue” the principal suspect from EFCC operatives after the suspect’s six armed police guards prevented her arrest.
“This happened after she had allegedly jumped bail granted to her by the EFCC. The Nigeria Police Force has yet to provide a credible explanation for these inexcusable actions.
“Despite facing multiple criminal charges for forgery, fraud, and illegal occupation by the Police and EFCC, the IGP has continued to provide six fully armed police guards on Hajia Yesufu’s property to protect the accused. This is a brazen injustice that enables continued trespass and undermines the judicial process.
“In November 2023, the suspect allegedly secured a court injunction by falsely impersonating Hajia Yesufu, using a forged Power of Attorney and other cloned documents.
“Recent media revelations have further exposed a forged Police Report, purportedly signed by the DPO, Gwarimpa, Zone 7 Police Headquarters on August 22, 2014, which contains false depositions crucial to her fraudulent claims in court.
“The fact that this report allegedly emanated from Zone 7 Police Headquarters, where the current IGP once served as AIG, adds a deeply troubling dimension to this case.”
Yesufu urged Tinubu to instruct the IGP to immediately and unconditionally withdraw all armed police personnel assigned to the suspect currently occupying her properties.
She further called on the Police Service Commission (PSC), the Ministry of Police Affairs, and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to initiate an independent, transparent, and thorough investigation into the alleged misconduct of police officers, including the origin and use of the forged Police Report dated 22 August 2014.
The widow also urged the President to order an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the abrupt halt of the initial inquiry and the suspicious “Volte-Face” to charge the suspects without the complainant’s knowledge.
“The EFCC Chairman must immediately implement the Federal High Court’s interim forfeiture orders and ensure full compliance with the directives of Justice Obiora Atuegwu Egwuatu given since March 7, 2025,” she added.
