Land Fraud: EFCC grabs suspect in Enugu

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Enugu have apprehended a man, Ifeanyi Mba, over an alleged N10 million land scam.

The arrest was announced in a statement shared by the commission on its official X account on Monday.

According to the EFCC, the suspect was taken into custody after a petition accused him of collecting N10 million from a buyer for a parcel of land said to be located at Plot 677 Owo/Premier Layout in Ogui Nike, Enugu State.

The agency stated: “The suspect was arrested following claims of a petitioner alleging that he paid the suspect the said sum for a piece of land located at Plot 677 Owo/Premier Layout, Ogui Nike community in Enugu State, only to find out that the land was being developed by unknown persons.”

The commission added that when the buyer queried the development on the land, the suspect allegedly claimed he had later discovered the property belonged to the government.

“According to the petitioner, when he contacted the suspect regarding the development, he said he was informed that the said property was government owned.

“Subsequently, all efforts made by the petitioner to recover his money proved abortive as the suspect remained incommunicado,” the statement said.

Preliminary findings by the EFCC indicated that no government layout exists with the name Plot 677 Owo/Premier. Investigators also noted that Owo and Premier are two distinct layouts.

The commission said the suspect would be charged to court once investigations are completed.