Two separate investigations by different units of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Alagbon, Lagos, have presented contradictory findings on a disputed ownership of a Lekki property linked to Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd.), the former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha.

The controversy surrounding the property began in April 2015 when an estate developer and Managing Director of Bluecreast Homes Ltd, Alex Ochonogor, through his lawyer, Ademola Owolabi, contacted Al-Mustapha’s lawyer, Adebayo Akeju, for the purchase of the land situated at Block 133, Plot 10 in Lekki Phase 1.

Owolabi said after contacting the Lagos Land Registry to verify the ownership of the land, his client paid the sum of N85m to Akeju, who handed over the necessary documents duly signed by Al-Mustapha.

The lawyer claimed that the documents, given to Ochonogor after payment, included a Demolition Notice dated July 15, 2014, and a Memorandum of Loss which Al-Mustapha had registered on October 22, 2014, for the property, having allegedly lost the original documents during the Abacha era.

However, Saturday PUNCH gathered that less than seven months later, a United States based medical doctor, Eze Obidigwe, emerged to claim the ownership of the same parcel of land.

According to reports, Obidigwe said he bought the land from Al-Mustapha on May 12, 2005.

The doctor thereafter filed a suit registered LD/592LM/2015 at the Lagos State High Court and submitted a petition on the matter to the FCID.

It was learnt that the Special Enquiry Bureau and the General Investigation Section of the FCID carried out separate investigations on the matter.

But findings revealed that the two reports contained several contradictions in the major aspects of the land dispute.

Discrepancy in allotment date

Both FCID units agreed that the land was originally allotted to Al-Mustapha, but they did not agree on the date of the allocation.

While the SEB, in its 28-point report dated November 15, 2023, and signed by its head, Godwin Eze, stated that the land numbered 36/36/1994w was allocated to Al-Mustapha on December 7, 1994, the GIS stated that the allotment took place on July 12, 1994.

The SEB noted that Al-Mustapha signed two separate Deeds of Assignment/Form C1, transferring the same land to both Ochonogor in 2015 and Continental Properties, through which Obidigwe later acquired it.

“Investigation carried out to date clearly established that Major Hamza Al-Mustapha was in 1994 allocated a plot of land in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos State, and he sold the same plot of land to two persons claiming he was misinformed by his lawyer,” the SEB stated.

The SEB also alleged that, “in a desperate move to sell the property,” Al-Mustapha’s lawyer, Akeju, “facilitated the demolition of the structure built by Dr. Eze Obidigwe” on the land, stressing that the demolition “claimed to have been carried out by Lagos State Government was vehemently denied.”

It added that “the MOL which the buyer (Alex Oshonogor) relied on as the registered title on the property as at the time he bought has been confirmed forged by Lagos State Ministry of Justice.”

According to the SEB, Ochonogor’s lawyer, Owolabi, “did not effectively carry out his due diligence in verifying the status of the property” as there was no Lagos State Government record proving that his client obtained a Certified True Copy of the MOL as claimed.

The bureau concluded that “With the investigation conducted to date, it is crystal clear that a case of Conspiracy, Forgery, Illegal Encroachment and Contempt can be established against Barrister Adebayo Akeju, Alex Oshonogor and Major Hamza Al-Mustapha.”

It named Obidigwe as the sole complainant, cited Owolabi and five others as witnesses, but tagged Al-Mustapha, Akeju, Ochonogor, and two others as suspects.

GIS opposing positions

However, in its 23-page report dated June 13, 2025, and signed by its head, Muhammed Dahiru, the GIS faulted the SEB’s conclusions.

Dahiru said his team report was based on “a case of compromised investigation, abuse of public office, shoddy investigation and witch-hunting” in a petition filed by Owolabi and Ochonogor against Obidigwe, the SEB team, Al-Mustapha, and two others.

Contrary to SEB’s findings, the GIS stressed that Al-Mustapha never transferred the land to Obidigwe.

“That the investigation revealed that Major Hamza Al-Mustapha did not sign Deed of Assignment and transferring of land ownership of Plot 10, Block 133, Lekki, Phase 1, Lagos to Obidigwe Eze ‘m’, only signed for Continental Properties and Alex Ochonogor as stated by Barrister Abdulfatai Alao Thomas and Barrister Adebayo Akeju both representatives of CSO, Major Al-Mustapha,” the GIS stated.

The GIS also rejected the SEB’s claim that Akeju forged the demolition notice, insisting instead that it was legitimately issued by the Lagos State Government.

“That the MOL declaration and the Affidavit of Loss were properly signed by the Chief Security Officer (CSO) Major Hamza Al-Mustapha.

“That the Demolition Notice was also published by Lagos State Government on PUNCH Newspaper of 11th September, 2009 and duly signed by Mr. Gbenga B. Ashafa, Permanent Secretary, Lands Bureau, Lagos State Government,” it added.

The GIS listed Akeju, Owolabi, and Omotosho as witnesses, with three others named as suspects, but notably excluded Al-Mustapha from the suspect list.

It concluded that, given ongoing civil and criminal litigation, the case file should be forwarded to the Directorate of Public Prosecution in line with letter No.: LJP.A18/2019 dated October 29, 2024.

When contacted for comment, the FCID Police Public Relations Officer, Mayegun Aminat, confirmed that the case was truly re-investigated after the initial probe, following a written petition submitted to the Assistant Inspector General of Police office.

She said a “competent court” has requested for the Certified True Copy of the second investigation report, which will soon be issued.

“I have just checked the report; the case was re-investigated. A certified true copy has been requested by a competent court and is being issued,” the FCID spokesperson said.

She however noted that the officers under whom the investigations were conducted were no longer serving in the FCID Lagos Annex. (Saturday PUNCH)