Two Abuja -based companies, Somsmart V. C International Limited and Empraise Global Investments Limited.
have dragged the Managing Director, Federal Housing Authority, Hon. Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo, before the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), for alleged abuse of office, land grabbing, criminal trespass and beach of public peace.
The firms also accused the FHA boss of intimidation, malicious damage, forceful/Illegal entry, unlawful tampering of properties on Plots MF 15, MF. 19 & MF. 20 Along 692 Crescent, A – A Close Gwarinpa II Estate, Abuja. The forceful entry, the firm alleged, was by “unknown armed men allegedly acting under the instructions of Hon. Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo.”
In a petition to the ICPC, the firms said FHA, in 2017, allocated Plots MF 15, MF. 19 & MF. 20 Along 692 Crescent, A – A Close Gwarinpa II Estate, Abuja to it, and that, thereafter, it fulfilled all the statutory conditions for the allocation of the plots of land. The petition was dated 11th July, 2025, and filed on behalf of the petitioner by Emmanuel Enemor and Associates.
According to the petitioners, after fulfilling all the conditions, it took physical possession of the properties, this “acquired both equitable and legal rights without any encumbrance thereof.”
However, continued the law firm, “upon the assumption of duty of Hon. Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo, as the Managing Director, Federal Housing Authority, our Client’s plots of land started experiencing traffic by so many unknown persons who allegedly claimed that they had been allocated the said plots of land by their friend, the Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority, Hon. Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo.”
The law firm noted that, the FHA boss, “in outright abuse of the public office which he occupies set in motion, an administrative procedure to effectively deny our client his possessory right over” his land, “contrary to specific circumstances stipulated under the Land Use Act to the effect that alienation, carving out, marking out with intention of allocating someone else’s land to another person must be predicated on public interest.”
In the petition, which was also addressed to the Public Complaints Commission, the law firm drew attention to the fact “that our Client has been in actual possession and has used the said properties for their business activities until recently when…Hon. Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo took steps in total disregard to the Constitution and extant laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The petitioners pointed out that the use of “unknown persons” by the FHA boss “to carve out, alienate, mark out other plots of land without notice and allocating same to his family and friends is not only a gross abuse of his revered office, but also malfeasance in public office, official misconduct, abuse of public trust, disregard to the grundnorm and the extant laws of the Federation of Nigeria.”
On the 30th day of June 2025, stated the law firm, “to confirm his suspicion, our client received a distress call that a group of unknown armed men invaded the properties at gun point and threatened to kill anyone claiming title to the land except such person vacates the property without the intention of ever returning thereat.
“Instructively upon inquiry, the gun wielding persons who were spotted marking and carving our plots from an already existing, established and allocated plots of land belonging to our Client alleged that they were allocated to them by the Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority, Hon. Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo.
The petitioners stated that “it is instructive to note that the intention of the unknown armed men was to forcefully take over the subject property and occupy same illegally whilst alleging that they have been allocated the said plots of land by the Managing Director of Federal Housing Authority, in a gross breach of the Land Use Act, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as altered and other established laws of the great country.”
The law firm cited the Supreme Court decision in the case of FAWEHINMI V AKILU & ANOR, RE: ODUNEYE DPP (1987) 4 NWLR (PT.67) 797 &870 “where it was held inter alia that the usual procedure when a crime is reported is to invoke their statutory powers and conduct detailed investigation.”
Considering the Supreme Court position, stated Emmanuel Enemor and Associates, “it is our firm and resolute position that this is a clear case of criminal trespass, harassment, intimidation, breach of public peace, malicious damage and illegal/fraudulent entry, illegal marking, carving, subdivision of property for delimiting and tampering with our Client’s Possessory Rights over the property known as Plot No. MF 14 along 69 Road, Gwarinpa Estate, Abuja in total disregard of the Criminal Code Laws and The Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as altered)”
The law firm added, “Please take notice that our Client remains under intense apprehension for his life more notwithstanding that he has enjoyed undisturbed access to the land prior to the appointment of Hon. Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo as the Managing Director of Federal Housing Authority.
The foregoing account of the actions of Unknown Persons acting on the instruction of Hon. Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo, the Managing Director, Federal Housing Authority, suggests that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as (altered), and the Land Use Act has been breached in total disregard of the oath of office which the Managing Director declared to uphold.
“On the backdrop of the foregoing, we urge you to use your good offices to invoke your statutory powers and bring the aforementioned unknown armed men and other unknown persons to book so as to protect our Client’s life and property, deter further perpetration of such criminal acts and protect our society at large from these criminal minds,” the law firm appealed.
The firm reminded that “it is imperative, as a fundamental rule of law, that nobody is above the law and our law has zero tolerance for illegality,” even as it called for swift intervention to stop the FHA boss.