The Nigeria Police (Force CID) Alagbon, Lagos has begun a manhunt for a Lagos-based legal practitioner (name withheld) and some others, wanted over alleged illegal sale of a landed property belonging to Late Mrs. Francisca Adeoti Awolaja.

The Late Mrs. Awolaja, former principal of Holy Child College, Lagos, who died in London on April 14, 1993, was a holder of landed property, with Lagos State C of O No. 63/63/19895) in respect of plot 19 Block 42 Lekki Pennisula Scheme One, Victoria Island, Lagos, according to the police.

Also, one Rotimi Wilmat Olubeko (43), is expected to appear before Justice Aban of the Federal High Court, Lagos on September 22, 2010 to answer a three-Count charge, for allegedly purchasing the said property, which he had developed since 2004.

Mr. Felix Awolaja of No 8, Mannilla Pepple Street, Port-Harcourt, River State, first son of Late Mrs. Awolaja, had complained to the police that since the death of his mother, he kept the C of O of the said property and it had never been used as security for any business transaction

But in December 2004, he discovered that Rotimi Olubeko, an employee of an oil company based in Lagos, had encroached on the said property, claiming to have bought the property from his late mother in 2001, (nine years after her death) for N6 million. He said Olubeko, to his amazement, also alleged that his mother personally cashed the money across the counter in 2001, after presenting an international passport, a claim he said was totally false.

Mr. Awolaja told the police that Olubeko claimed that his (Awolaja’s) mother produced the certificate of occupancy for the property bearing the mother’s photograph, in exchange for the N6 million payment.

He alleged that because he confronted Olubeko and sued him to court over the property, he (Olubeko) caused the police and EFCC to arrest and detain him severally for fictitious offences, as a result of which he too, cross-petitioned.

In his own statement to the police, the husband of the deceased, Otunba Paul Abayomi Awolaja, who is a former Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, confirmed that the said land belonged to Mrs. Awolaja who died in 1993 and to the best of his knowledge, the property was not encumbered. “I wonder how Rotimi Olubeko succeeded in buying the landed property from my wife in 2001 physically nine years after her death and obtained C of O which was never disposed of, said Otunba Awolaja.

However in his own defence to the police, Rotimi Olubeko said he bought the land from one Mrs. Francisca Awolaja and a lawyer (now wanted by the police) for the sum of N6 million and was provided with the original C of O, and thereafter, constructed his building on the land.

He said he was surprised at EFCC office, to see the C of O brought by the complaint, Mr Awolaja which appeared similar to the one he had. He still insisted that he bought the land from Mrs. Francesca Awolaja in the presence of her lawyer, but he was not aware that Mrs Awolaja who owned the property was dead, and that she was the former principal of Holy Child College, Lagos.

Rotimi added that since that transaction, he never saw Mrs. Awolaja again, stressing that before he bought the property in question, he instructed his lawyer to find out, and he (lawyer) conducted a search and told him, it was safe to transact the business.