The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is set to re-arraign Abuja real estate developer Rebecca Godwin-Isaac, also known as Bilkisu Ishaqu Aliyu, over a scheme involving alleged forged land documents, fraud, and money laundering totalling about N800 million.
Court documents obtained by PREMIUM TIMES showed that Mrs Godwin-Isaac, her husband, Isaac Aliyu, and their company, Homadil Realty Limited, will face a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining by false pretence, forgery, and laundering proceeds of unlawful activity.
In the new charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/77/2025, the EFCC alleges that the defendants used forged documents, including a fake power of attorney, to claim ownership of Plot 4022, Guzape District, Abuja.
EFCC said Mrs Godwin-Isaac used the forged documents to secure a building permit from the FCT Department of Development Control and sold the land to a buyer for N70 million.
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The anti-graft agency said the proceeds were laundered through Homadil Realty’s bank account to conceal their illicit origin.
“That you, Godwin-Isaac Rebecca Omokamo (a.k.a. Bilkisu Ishaqu Aliyu), Isaac Yusuf Ishaku, and Homadil Realty Limited, sometime between 2020 and 2023, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired among yourselves to obtain, falsify, and fraudulently acquire Plot 4022, Guzape District, Abuja, belonging to Mrs Colleen Mero Yesufu, by means of false representation and fraudulent documents, knowing the same to be false…,” EFCC prosecutor Samuel Chime stated in the proof of evidence.
The charge was filed on 26 February and signed by the EFCC’s investigator on 19 February.
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The EFCC plans to call 13 witnesses, including victims and operatives, and to tender documents allegedly showing forged titles, bribes to public officials, and suspicious financial transactions.
Linked criminal cases total over N800 million
The Guzape case is one of at least three criminal prosecutions involving Mrs Godwin-Isaac and her associates.
In a related case, FHC/ABJ/CR/76/2025, the EFCC accuses her, Homadil Realty Ltd, Idakwogi John, and Rychado Homes Ltd of conspiring to fraudulently sell Plots 1861, 1862, and 1863 in Katampe, Abuja.
That 17-count charge alleges that the defendants collected over N500 million between 2023 and 2024 from multiple victims and laundered the funds through various company accounts.
Mr John is separately accused of selling Plot 1863 for N125 million, with the proceeds allegedly laundered through Rychado Homes.
In the third case, CR/100/2025, pending before the FCT High Court, EFCC is prosecuting Mrs Godwin-Isaac, her husband, and Mr John for forgery, bribery, and criminal alteration of land records to secure approvals for Plot 4022.
EFCC uncovers alleged land fraud network
The EFCC said these cases are part of a growing investigation into an alleged coordinated land fraud network in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) involving real estate actors and complicit officials in land administration.
A senior EFCC investigator told PREMIUM TIMES that “This is a coordinated enterprise to take control of prime Abuja plots and disguise the illicit proceeds through real estate.”
EFCC alleged that forged AGIS documents, including fake title papers and Powers of Attorney, were used to obtain fraudulent building approvals and sell land to unsuspecting buyers.
Presidency-ordered probe implicates AGIS official
Following a petition to President Bola Tinubu dated 28 July 2024, Mrs Godwin-Isaac denied all allegations, claiming she lawfully acquired the land from her former employer, Mr John, and possessed genuine documents.
“I have been wrongly accused and subjected to media trials. I do not work at AGIS and have never forged documents,” she wrote.
Her petition prompted President Tinubu to instruct FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to investigate.
However, internal probe documents shared with this newspaper by the FCTA Legal Secretariat uncovered that a staff member of the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) manipulated digital land records in favour of Mrs Godwin-Isaac.
“The AGIS Director could not identify the staff involved,” FCTA General Counsel Salman Dako wrote in an 8 October 2024 letter to the EFCC.
The official allegedly inserted and later deleted electronic remarks enabling a building plan approval for Plot 4022.
The findings were forwarded to the EFCC for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Earlier police arraignment and bail
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the Nigeria Police Force arraigned Mrs Godwin-Isaac and others on 28 January at the FCT High Court in Apo, Abuja.
The defendants — including her husband, Mr Aliyu, and Homadil Realty Limited — pleaded not guilty to a five-count charge filed on 23 January.
The Executive Director of Rychado Homes, Mr John, was named the fourth defendant but was absent during the arraignment.
The judge, Sadia Mayana, granted each defendant N10 million bail, with two sureties in the same amount.
In that case, the police alleged that the defendants forged documents and misrepresented themselves as owners of the Guzape and Katampe plots, using a fraudulent Irrevocable Power of Attorney to deceive buyers.
Prior forfeiture orders
In December 2024, a judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Emeka Nwite, granted the EFCC’s request for a 60-day interim forfeiture order on the disputed plots — including Plot 4022 in Guzape and Plots 1861–1863 in Katampe — to enable further investigation.
The order followed findings that development permits were issued based on forged ownership documents.
Civil society groups accuse IGP of shielding suspect
Meanwhile, two civic groups — Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) and Initiative Against Human Rights Abuse and Torture (INAHURAT) — have accused the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, of shielding Mrs Godwin-Isaac from arrest.
CHRICED Executive Director Ibrahim Zikirullahi alleged in a statement shared on Sunday but dated 31 May that police officers were deployed to protect the suspect at the disputed Guzape plot in defiance of court orders and multiple EFCC findings.
“At the centre of this disturbing case is the mistreatment of 79-year-old widow Colleen Yesufu, who is battling powerful forces intent on dispossessing her,” he said.
INAHURAT Convener and human rights lawyer Maxwell Opara accused the police of obstructing justice.
He claimed that former FCT Commissioner of Police Tunji Disu helped the suspect evade arrest and continue development activities under police protection.
While Mrs Godwin-Isaac maintains her innocence and alleges persecution, Mrs Yesufu — the original allottee of Plot 4022 — insists she was fraudulently dispossessed and has called on the EFCC, FCT minister, and the president to ensure justice is done.
Police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi did not respond to text and WhatsApp messages sent by PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday requesting comments on the allegations that police were shielding the suspects.
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