Colleen Yesufu, a 79-year-old woman, has petitioned President Bola Tinubu in an open letter, alleging fraudulent takeover and sale of her properties in Guzape and Katampe, Abuja.
She accused a real estate developer, Rebecca Omokamo Godwin-Isaac, also known as Bilikisu Ishaku Aliyu, of orchestrating the land fraud in collusion with corrupt police officers and land officials.
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In the letter obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, Mrs Yesufu said she was writing in response to Ms Godwin-Isaac’s earlier open letter to the president, where the developer denied any wrongdoing and claimed lawful ownership of the disputed plots.
“I am compelled to write this letter in direct response to the misleading claims of innocence made by Ms Rebecca Omokamo Godwin Isaac… I respectfully demand your urgent intervention to ensure that justice is not only done, but visibly seen to be done,” she wrote.
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Allegations of criminal trespass and impersonation
Mrs Yesufu said her properties—Plot 4022 in Guzape and Plots 1861, 1862, and 1863 in Katampe—were acquired through legitimate means over decades but were unlawfully taken and sold using forged land documents.
She accused Ms Godwin-Isaac and others of criminal trespass, forgery, and land racketeering, which she said have left her and her family dispossessed of their life’s savings.
The petitioner also accused Ms Godwin-Isaac of exploiting her alleged connections to government officials to evade accountability.
She referenced the developer’s alleged presence at the Presidential Villa and inclusion in the president’s entourage to Doha, Qatar in 2024.
“Her highly publicised appearances and alleged high-level ties have deepened my concern that the law is being deliberately subverted,” Mrs Yesufu wrote.
Findings from presidency-ordered investigations
Following a petition dated 28 July 2024, President Tinubu directed relevant agencies to investigate the matter. Mrs Yesufu said the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) conducted independent probes, all of which allegedly confirmed her claims.
“Their comprehensive reports… have extensively incriminated Rebecca Omokamo Godwin Isaac, detailing schemes of document forgery, falsification of AGIS titles, and fraudulent sales of my properties to over 70 unsuspecting Nigerians,” she stated.
An internal FCTA report seen by PREMIUM TIMES also revealed that an unidentified staff member of the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) tampered with digital land records to enable alleged fraudulent issuance of building approvals for the disputed Plot 4022.
The FCTA Legal Secretariat confirmed the AGIS director could not identify the staff involved, further implicating lapses in land administration.
Accusation of police collusion and bail violation
Mrs Yesufu further alleged that police officers, including former FCT Commissioner of Police Tunji Disu, obstructed efforts by the EFCC to arrest Ms Godwin-Isaac after she allegedly jumped bail.
She said the suspect continues to occupy her Guzape property illegally with the protection of armed police personnel despite lacking valid building approvals or ownership documents.
“The Nigeria Police Force is being used to dispossess, trespass, and fraudulently occupy my properties by protecting an alleged fraudster with no known legitimate livelihood,” she said. “This is not about an EFCC witch-hunt but about police connivance enabling a suspect to evade arrest.”
She also raised concerns over the use of multiple identities by the accused, stating that the name change from “Rebecca Omokamo” to “Bilikisu Ishaku Aliyu” is part of a wider fraudulent scheme uncovered by EFCC investigators.
EFCC charges and ongoing prosecution
Mrs Godwin-Isaac is currently facing multiple criminal charges before the Federal High Court and the FCT High Court. In the five counts charged in case FHC/ABJ/CR/77/2025, the EFCC accused her, her husband Isaac Yusuf Ishaku, and their company Homadil Realty Limited of conspiracy, forgery, and laundering proceeds of unlawful activity.
The anti-graft agency said the defendants used forged documents, including a fake power of attorney, to illegally claim Plot 4022 and secure a development permit from the FCT Department of Development Control, which they used to sell the property for N70 million.
A separate case of 17 counts alleges the group fraudulently obtained over N500 million from multiple victims and laundered the funds through shell companies.
In another case (CR/100/2025), Mrs Godwin-Isaac and her associates are facing prosecution for bribery, forgery, and criminal alteration of land records to secure illegal approvals.
The EFCC said these cases form part of a wider investigation into a “coordinated land fraud network” in Abuja involving real estate actors and complicit land officials.
Prior police arraignment and forfeiture orders
Mrs Godwin-Isaac and others were first arraigned by the police on 28 January at the FCT High Court in Apo.
They pleaded not guilty to a five counts filed on 23 January. The judge granted them bail in the sum of N10 million each.
In December 2024, trial judge Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted an interim 60-day forfeiture order on the disputed plots, pending EFCC’s investigation.
The order cited forged documents and irregular development permits as grounds for the temporary forfeiture.
Plea for presidential intervention
Mrs Yesufu urged President Tinubu to act on the findings of the investigative agencies and enforce existing court orders to restore her to rightful ownership. Citing his June 12 Democracy Day speech, she appealed for “rights over might.”
She called on the president to ensure criminal prosecution of all suspects involved in the alleged fraud.
She requested President Tinubu to enforce court-ordered forfeiture of her properties to the EFCC for restoration to her.
Mrs Yesuf asked the President to sanction any official found to have aided or shielded the suspects from prosecution.
Also, she urged President Tinubu to uphold the integrity of the justice system and protect vulnerable citizens.
READ ALSO: 79-year old widow cries out to Tinubu for recovery of her lands
“My hope, and the hope of my family, rests on your timely and decisive intervention to rectify this grave injustice,” she added.
Police, Mrs Godwin-Isaac decline comment
Efforts to obtain police’s reactions to the petitioner’s claims were unsuccessful. When contacted via text and WhatsApp messages on 1 June, Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, did not respond to enquiries regarding the alleged police involvement and protection of the accused.
Similarly, on 5 June, Mrs Godwin-Isaac was contacted through WhatsApp and invited to provide documentation supporting her claims to the disputed land. As of the time of filing this report, she had not responded.
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