By Emmanuel Daniji

The Group Managing Director of CFL Group of Companies, Lai Omotola, has given the Lagos State Land Registry seven days to address alleged falsification of land documents linked to a disputed property in Victoria Island, Lagos, warning that failure to act could lead to a ₦5 billion lawsuit.

Omotola made the demand at a press conference in Lagos on Thursday, where he raised concerns over what he described as “Land Title Laundry” — an alleged scheme involving the cloning and manipulation of land documents to make illegally acquired properties appear legitimate.

He alleged that the practice targeted valuable properties in areas such as Ikoyi and Victoria Island, with forged Certificates of Occupancy and other documents allegedly introduced into official records with the help of compromised registry officials.

According to Omotola, some banks have also fallen victim to the alleged fraud after accepting fake Certificates of Occupancy as collateral for loans. In some cases, he claimed, the fraud was discovered only after borrowers defaulted.

He explained that the alleged scheme often began with the identification of abandoned properties whose ownership records could be manipulated. Speculators would allegedly use the identity of a deceased prominent individual to create a false history of ownership, obtain forged documents and introduce them into the land registry system.

“Once the document is ready, they have staff in Alausa working in Land Registry that will insert the documents into the system. Immediately this is achieved, the title document will automatically become the original,” Omotola alleged.

He further claimed that those involved could report the supposed original document as missing, obtain a police affidavit and use the paperwork to pursue a Governor’s Consent, creating the impression that the property had been legally transferred.

Omotola stressed that a Certificate of Occupancy and a Governor’s Consent serve different purposes. While a Certificate of Occupancy is issued by the government to grant a land title, a Governor’s Consent approves a transaction involving an existing title.

He argued that obtaining a Governor’s Consent does not automatically make a defective title valid, adding that such consent could be cancelled if investigations establish forgery or misrepresentation.

Disputed Victoria Island Property

Omotola said his concerns stemmed partly from a dispute involving his company and a property at 24 Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, where he claimed his company had purchased the land and begun construction before another company allegedly arrived with police officers and sealed the premises.

According to him, the other party claimed ownership through a chain of transactions involving the late Samuel Oladele Ige and the late Alhaji Ganiyu Amusan, father of businessman Tayo Amusan.

Omotola said his company investigated the claimed ownership history and contacted the Ige family. He alleged that the family disclosed that Samuel Ige died in 2012, contradicting claims that he sold the property in 2015.

He also said the family disputed the claim that Ige owned the property, stating that no such asset was identified in his will.

Omotola further alleged that records relating to Ganiyu Amusan raised similar questions because Amusan reportedly died in 1994, years before the alleged 2015 transaction.

He said investigators also found a police affidavit purportedly sworn by Samuel Ige in 2015, declaring that his original land certificate had been lost. However, Ige’s first son, Niyi, allegedly challenged the document, claiming that the photograph and signature on it did not belong to his late father.

Omotola also questioned a letter of objection purportedly written by Ige and received by the Land Registry on September 1, 2015, which he said was three years after Ige’s death.

According to Omotola, the Ige family petitioned the Land Registry, which he claimed found merit in the allegations and invited the beneficiaries of the disputed Governor’s Consent to proceedings that could lead to its deregistration.

He alleged that the beneficiaries failed to attend on two occasions and continued construction on the property.

Seven-Day Ultimatum

Omotola said the affected landowners want the disputed Governor’s Consent deregistered and the relevant land records corrected to reflect what they maintain is the property’s legitimate ownership.

He warned that if the Land Registry failed to resolve the matter within seven days, the landowners would seek legal redress and demand ₦5 billion in damages.

He maintained that the landowners were seeking protection for properties they had legitimately acquired and called on the Lagos State Government to investigate the allegations and strengthen safeguards against the introduction of fraudulent documents into official records.

The allegations have not been independently established in the account provided. The dispute underscores the importance of verifying land ownership records and the history of a property before completing a transaction.