A Lagos based lawyer and activist, Barrister Oladotun Hassan who was alleged to have defrauded a widow the sum of N20.5 million over a land matter around Ajah axis of Lagos has described the report making the rounds as fake news and a malicious content targeted at defaming his person and damaging his hard earned reputation.
Hassan who has continued to advocate for social justice through his work claimed that the report by the Leadership Newspapers of 27th February 2019, claiming he connived with three other people to defraud a widow, named Mrs. Eva Okoh which has gone viral across several news platforms and social media is preemptive and prejudicial as two cases are still pending at the Federal High Court, Lagos over the matter.
Through his counsel, Ayo Ademiluyi, Hassan had filed a Fundamental Human Rights Enforcement suit marked: FHC/L/CS/1666/18 before Justice Seidu of the Federal High Court, Lagos against Mrs Okoh and the Commissioner of Police, Special Fraud Unit (SFU) for the alleged character assassination on his person and position as the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lekki Forum.
Also, the widow through the men of SFU of the Nigeria Police Force had charged Hassan before Justice Chuka Austin Obiozor, of the same Federal High Court, Lagos alongside Sherifatu Ogunsemo Omotayo, Bakare Olamiji Tajudeen and Aderemi Adesoji A. Daniel in the alleged N20.5 million fraud case.
The New Diplomat learnt that the two plots of land at centre of the dispute located at Addo road, Ajah, Lagos was first sold to the widow’s late husband, Chukwudebe Okoh on 12th February, 2008 for N7,000,000.00 (Seven Million Naira) by Mrs Sherifatu Omotayo Ogunsemo, a client to Hassan. Following her husband’s demise and the ensuing attack by the land grabbers in Ajah environs, the widow decided to sell the land to another third party, Mrs. Ibiyemi Akeredolu, wife to the Retired DIG Akeredolu for N50 million. Okoh agreed in principle to take N30 million of the proceeds and share the remaining N20 million with Ogunsemo and other land agents with the aim to ensure they put Akeredolu in the actual possession of the land, which has been an arduous task for years.
Further findings revealed that to claim actual possession of the land where work is currently ongoing now, Okoh who was upbeat about the land grabbers’ threat in the area gave N500,000 to Hassan to get security men and provide other ancillary services to prevent dangerous encumbrances till the land is fully possessed, an assignment which he had since delivered on as agreed upon by both parties.
In the light of the foregoings and following the successful take over of the land by the current owner, Akeredolu, it appears what Okoh is terming as fraud is the N20 million she transferred willy-nilly to Ogunsemo as part of the proceeds to pursue all measures and the N500,000 given to Hassan to help provide security for the land possession, something which Hassan had described as treacherous charges to smear his name.
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“This is a reckless, biased and ill advised violation of my professional duty and calling as a legal practitioner, where upon she lied and claimed I fraudulently collected from her under false pretense the sum of N500,000.00 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira), which was paltry sum meant for ancillary legal services and carrying out the assigned task of ensuring full security and protection of lives and properties, which was delivered as agreed upon. It must first be noted that all allegations raised and reported in the media to malign my person, was all lies from the pit of hell and figment of their imagination, conspicuously premeditated to witch-hunt and cause unbearable pain and ridicule my professional image, before reasonable and right thinking members of the public, having vowed to do same before now, however I hereby wish to state in clarity based on substantiated facts and records:
“Based on this premise, I categorically wish to set the records straight without any iota of biased opinion, that I never had any contact prior to 2018 or had knowledge of the direct transaction on sales of landed property of the: 2 plots of land, along Addo Road, Ajah beside the 1st total filling station. According to facts and records the land was sold to her late husband Prince Chukwudebe Okoh on 12th February, 2008 for N7,000,000.00 (Seven Million Naira) by my client: Mrs Sherifatu Omotayo Ogunsemo of 9, Macarrios Street, Ajah, Lagos, who approached our law firm on 2nd of February, 2018 over her claims to recover all her encroached properties being that Sixteen (16) Acres of Land, situated and lying at Addo Road, Ajah, Lagos which has been under continued attacks and forceful possession of Chief Fatai Olumegbon (Unilaterally acting and misleading the general public as The Ajah Management Committee as ordered by the Supreme Court), whom has been in actual possession for some period of time, after the widely reported Ajah crises that led to the death of hundreds of people and inhabitants of Ajah community and environs, wherein the said whole land informed the utmost purpose of our legal services, and we agreed on terms of service and strategy, and the sum of N4,500,000.00 (Four Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) was agreed upon, while the initial payment sum of N2,000,000.00(Two Million Naira) was paid. With a view to collecting additional sum as the case progresses based on exigencies and other ancillary necessary duties.
“We are made to understand that several attacks have been unleashed on our client and members of her family, based on various preceding land tussle cases at various points in time, precipitating our swift to legal actions. We firstly approached the Police Headquarters Annex, Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos, where I applied for the preliminary investigation reports of their initial investigation on the matter, so as to enable us navigate progressively on the path of justice, that was where I met firstly the said widow: Mrs. Eva Okoh who was introduced to me by client as one of the buyers (Alongside one Pastor that bought land for church purpose, though we met later) of the said land, and she (Okoh) equally expressed her seem to be unending travails and heinous experiences on the land, since her husband: Late Prince Chukwudebe Okoh died in the storm of the same land tussle with Chief Fatai Olumegbon, this really caught my empathy and attention, particularly when she further said she had sold the land in question to another third party: Mrs. Ibiyemi Akeredolu wife to the Retired DIG Akeredolu, and that she has since been on her (Okoh) nerves to put her(Akeredolu) in actual possession, failure of which she will be made to refund the total sum of N50million purchased sum, which I later got the hint based on documentary records, that the widow agreed in principle with my client to share the money in ratio of 30million for Mrs. Okoh and N20million for our client and land agents, meant for the family and to ensure actual possession is secured and pursue all measures accordingly, since, Chief Olumegbon had been paid the sum of N5million for the ratification initially, based on The Agreement of Sale of Land dated 31st May,2017 prepared by the new buyer’s lawyer: Barr. Dauda Ajadosu based in Abuja, and the Olumegbon Chieftaincy Family’s receipt dated 24th, November, 2008 attached herewith.
“Our firm sent a Letter of Appeal/Assurance dated 9th March, 2018 to Mrs. Eva Okoh in order to show frantic committed efforts to the new buyer, towards resolving the matter, and all steps to be taken based on mutual agreements and she said I should go ahead and help her, that she will pay half part payment for the special security surveillance for two weeks (I proposed one week of N400,000.00 but she insisted two weeks and she paid her part of N500,000.00, while our client are to pay the balance for the second week, but after few days of security stationed work on duty, wherein construction had commenced by the new buyer with immediate sand-filling and fencing, after some interception by the police, we then had a meeting point for a permanent solution at the Area ‘J’ Command, Ajah, based on the orders and instruction of the Oba of Lagos, HRM, Oba Riliwan Akiolu, which laid the foundation upon which Mrs Okoh is benegitting today.
“The said money is inclusive of contigency legal service fees for monitoring which I did, by engaging the Langbasa Police Station through Bayo Afolayan and patrol team of OP MESA led by Capt. Oliseh, in order to safeguard the equipments, materials and lives of the workers at sites.
“Contrary to her spurious lies, we painstakingly achieved our objective and possession taken as we speak today, currently work is on going (kindly verify).
“For it is most disheartening, treacherous and inglorious for after much sacrificial efforts, we were paid back with evil for someone who was dearly in need of help.
“Most damning is the false information she gave the police and media, having benefitted from our legal services, leading to her (Okoh) unsubstantiated claim of conspiracy with my client and some other unknown persons.
“I specifically called Barr Dauda Ajadosu, who is based in Abuja on 27th February, 2019 at about 9.pm to hint him on the current malicious contempt acts of over-sensationalizing and tainting of my image in the media, all he could said is I should refund the her N500 thousand naira. I came to a conclusion that it is all a ploy to use against me, for this will interpret to an admittance of crime, which I clarified, that she is not entitled to any refund of N500 thousand from me, I did all within his knowledge and my professional capacity and experience to assist Mrs. Eva Okoh based on her instruction that the buyer’s workers needs to start work unfailingly by the end of March 2018, wherein i reminded him during one of our phone conversations, based on his own personal pleading that he was arrested by the police in Abuja on the instruction of his clients, and that Mrs Okoh is about to be asked to refund the N50million purchase price back.
“Consequently, i did all to ensure his client Mrs. Ibiyemi Akeredolu takes full possession of the 2 plots of land at Addo, all Mrs Okoh wanted then was to avoid being arrested and prosecuted, but she knows fully well I did not commit any of such false allegations circulating on the print and online media platforms.
“Barr. Ajadosu equally pleaded we stay further civil action wherein he was aware we had commenced drafting of legal processes with a colleague Barr. Kola Davies for immediate filling then at the Lagos State High Court, but in order not to drag on for too long Mrs Okoh’s own side of the two plots out of the whole 16 Acres of land case belonging to our client: Alhaja Sherifatu Omotayo Ogunsemo as initially instructed, we decided to assist her first.
“We billed our client N4,500,000.00, she made advance payment of N2,000,000.00 professional legal fees,(Payment Receipt was issued and acknowledged by our client accordingly), which Mrs Okoh now claimed was part of our proceed of joint crime, this to us is treacherous, ridiculous and has a gross implication when people out of malice just pick on anything to call a dog a bad name.
“For we don’t have knowledge of Mrs. Okoh’s transactions of both 2008 and 2017 abinitio, which she is now claiming I am part of the sharing of 20million of 2017 transaction, prior to our first meeting at Alagbon in 2018.
“Take note that Mrs. Eva Okoh has initially vowed to deal with me during one of meetings when the matter was later transferred to ACP “X” Squad Unit, Alagbon she had said the matter was not intended to arrest me but to use me as proxy against my clients, which I objected to,” that being a Yoruba Lawyer, she will bring me down by any means, that she will soon go to the media and NBA deciplinary committee to prosecute and delist me from roll call”. she admitted she is ready to spend any amount to fight me dirty, which she has started.
“I told Barr. Ajadosu that since he had knowledge of the whole matter abinitio and we jointly discussed extensively and agreed on the need to ensure adequate security surveillance of his client’s land, and we follow suite with strategy when he proposed one Police Officer Ehindero is at the force headquarters ready to take the sum of 10million Naira and ensure provision of daily security surveillance till completion of the building, but I later suggested that was too high, based on the high expenses and agony on Mrs Okoh and his client, he even said his client were ready to assist if we provide half of the amount (N5million), while I assist to be on ground to monitor full execution of our strategy, knowing fully well the unproductive and high complicity and efforts made so far with the police, without any way forward, we then agreed jointly took steps to call the security patrol team to provide on site security which they did successfully, before we finally resolved at Area J Police Command and that necessitated the full solution with the Oba of Lagos till date wherein possession of the land is taken by Mrs Ibiyemi Akeredolu and full construction work is on going every day as we speak.
“With all this fact, where did I offend Mrs Eva Okoh the widow, considering her clandestine move as a widow, a position out of my pity for her I went all out to help, which she is now using to discredit me and attract unwarranted attention as if I defrauded her, when I specifically risked my life to stand with the security team against the Olumegbon fiercely dangerous boys on that first Sunday we started construction and Mr Bayo Afolayan the agent to the land who crystallized the entire transaction witnessed it, alongside Alhaji the builder, and Mrs. Okoh confirmed it too then.
“After achieving this great task, Mrs Okoh pretended to invite me to attend a final resolution meeting with the Oba of Lagos not knowing she had a different evil plan of arresting me by police officers attached to the SFU, though was shocked to my marrow for her blatant betrayal of trust reposed in her, and I stated therein my innocence, but to my dismay I just saw in the media court arraignment as if I defrauded her of N20,500,000.00.
“Perhaps, If Olumegbon boys had attacked and killed anyone of us, will she be going about the way she is now, what does she want in going to that climaxed of pressing charges against me without no justifiable reason or is evil, I wonder how she could have led her late husband to fight ruthlessly then, which confirmed the husband died mysteriously.
“I emphatically state that I did everything out of sympathy for someone I regarded needed a shield, but now I am now her direct source of target to kill.
“I believe in my conscience and truly I am satisfied with it.”
