Lateef Fagbemi, AGF
Solicitors to the estate of late John Randle have petitioned Lateef Fagbemi, the attorney-general of the federation (AGF), alleging foul play in the sale of a prime property at 31 Marina, Lagos.
In a letter dated July 4, the Randle family said they had earlier written to the Lagos zonal command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on March 5, 2025, about a case of alleged forgery and fraudulent disposal of the leased property.
According to the petition, the property was leased to R.E.A. Property Investment Limited in 1961 at an agreed annual rent. However, in 2024, the company allegedly sold the property to a commercial bank without informing or seeking the consent of the family.
The family asked the EFCC to investigate and prosecute Kenny Ezenwani Odogwu of R.E.A. Property Investment for alleged falsification of records, fraud, and conspiracy.
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The family alleged that Odogwu’s firm had been owing them £12,000 in accumulated rent as of 2024 when a demand notice was issued and delivered to the property. They said they were surprised when they were told that the ownership had changed.
They also alleged that land registry records showed that Odogwu applied with an affidavit on February 9, 2024, for a new land certificate for the property, claiming the original certificate was lost, and that a new one was issued to him on March 13, 2024.
The petition further alleged that by paying N4 billion for a property valued at N7 billion without proper due diligence, the commercial bank was complicit.
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To support their case, the family said they submitted the registered title deed, the lease agreement with R.E.A., a valuation report, and what they described as falsified information relating to the land certificate on the proprietorship register.
The family expressed dissatisfaction with the EFCC’s handling of the matter, alleging that the Lagos zonal office concluded that they had indeed sold the property to Odogwu and was preparing to close the case.
The Randle family asked how such a conclusion was reached when the deal was purportedly consummated in 1961 under a land certificate tied to a 2015 law. They also questioned how they could have sold the property to Odogwu at a time when he was not yet born.
The family said their confidence in the integrity of the EFCC’s Lagos zonal office had been eroded and urged the AGF to “take over the matter and prosecute all implicated offences.”
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The family further stated that R.E.A. first entered into business with the Randle estate in 1938, when a 50-year deed of lease was signed on October 13, 1938. The family said the lease was surrendered after 23 years, and another was signed on December 1, 1961, for 99 years, expiring November 30, 2060.
The lease allowed R.E.A. to demolish Randle’s property and erect a new multi-storey structure. The family said although the rent was denominated in pounds sterling, the firm had been paying the naira equivalent until arrears covering 30 years accumulated between 1994 and 2024.
The family said several demand letters were written in the six years before they discovered that ownership of the Marina property had allegedly been fraudulently transferred.
TheCable has contacted the EFCC for comments.
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