N130m land fraud allegation politically motivated – Ex-Lagos deputy gov - Punch Newspapers

Former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Alhaja Sinatu Ojikutu, has described the N130m land fraud allegation against her as politically motivated, saying the controversy arose from a land agent’s error and not a deliberate attempt to defraud anyone. Ojikutu, who spoke in an interview during the 2026 PR Forum/CSR Exhibition & Award, also said in her life, she had never embezzled public funds or stolen from any organisation where she had worked, adding that the controversy was targeted at damaging her political reputation. The former deputy governor was declared wanted following a petition sent to the police in June 2014 over allegations that she and her son, Sampson, were involved in a N130m land scam in Lekki, Lagos State. Ojikutu, while recounting her version of the incident, said the controversy stemmed from the misidentification of a land belonging to her late husband, adding that her son was dragged into the matter without his knowledge. She said an agent had mistakenly identified a vacant plot as her late husband’s property, whereas his actual land was on an adjoining plot that had already been developed. According to her, the supposedly vacant land was being hustled by touts when it was brought to her notice and after investigation by her lawyer at the land registry that no encumbrance was on it, she decided to sell it. She said, “The claimed N130m scandal was politically motivated because it resulted from a misidentification of the land by the agent, rather than a deliberate act. “It was simply a case of misidentifying the location of the land. A virgin plot was mistakenly identified as belonging to my late husband due to an error by the surveyor, while my husband’s actual land was beside the said property and had already been built on.” The former deputy governor said the problem became apparent after the buyer began developing the property and was approached by another person who claimed ownership of the land. She said further investigations revealed that her late husband’s actual property was the adjoining plot, which had already been built on. According to her, the family also discovered that someone had sold the property belonging to her late husband, although there was no clear evidence that he had authorised the sale. Ojikutu said she later refunded the buyer after the dispute arose, stressing that the amount involved was N120m rather than the N130m widely reported at the time. FG unveils 100-day tourism calendar to unlock $100bn Lagos parking defaulters owe N500m – LASPA Lagos Assembly passes N4.45tn 2026 revised budget She said, “I refunded part of the money. I initially paid him N50m, leaving N70m, which I later repaid in full. So, it was not N130m as was reported at the time, but N120m.” She stated that the matter was subsequently exploited for political purposes because an election was approaching and she was actively involved in the campaign. She said, “The buyer was coerced to report the transaction as fraudulent while the funds were being put together.” Ojikutu also said her son was dragged into the controversy because he, alongside her, was managing her late husband’s estate. She said, “While the matter was being resolved, political incrimination set in. An election was approaching at the time, and I was at the forefront of the campaign. “They used the situation as an opportunity to scandalise me to cause public disaffection. The efforts to scandalise me were to damage my well-known reputation of a lifetime of working and preaching against corrupt practices.” The first elected female deputy governor of Lagos State further denied claims that she fled Nigeria when she travelled to the United States. According to her, efforts were made to further damage her reputation by contacting the United States Embassy and seeking her extradition. She added, “I informed the police then of my pre-scheduled plan to travel, but as soon as I flew out they declared me wanted. I did not overstay my visit to the USA, which was for medical reasons.” She said she had since gone to court to reclaim her late husband’s property. Ojikutu maintained that she had never stolen from any organisation where she worked and attributed the controversy to her opposition to corrupt practices. She said, “I have never taken a kobo illicitly in any of the public institutions where I have worked. They decided to scandalise me because of my stance against such practices.” Daniel Ayantoye Daniel, well versed in print and multimedia journalism with about 10 years experience, is also a videographer, photographer, cinematographer, video editor, and website developer

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