A witness for the prosecution told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday that a realtor and her co-defendants allegedly sold parts of three disputed plots of land in Abuja without any proof of ownership.
Ahmed Gbigbadua, who works with the Extractive Industries Fraud Section of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), informed Judge Joyce Abdulmalik that the defendants gave offer letters, payment receipts, and other papers to buyers. None of these documents matched the real title documents from the FCT Department of Land Administration.
Mr Gbigbadua shared this information during the ongoing trial of Abuja realtor Rebecca Godwin-Isaac, her husband Isaac Ishaku, Richard John, and two companies, Homadil Realty Limited and Rychado Homes Limited.
The defendants face charges related to land fraud, forgery, and money laundering involving Plot 4022 in Guzape District and Plots 1861, 1862, and 1863 in Katampe District, Abuja.
The EFCC claims that the defendants collected over N500 million from several victims between 2023 and 2024 and laundered the money through company accounts.
Mr Gbigbadua, who was the fifth prosecution witness, stated that the EFCC started looking into the matter after receiving a petition from Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), on behalf of Colleen Yesufu about the three plots in Katampe.
He explained that May Estate Agency, Fafan Agency Limited, and Adamu Ayinloda Estate Company had applied for and received Rights of Occupancy and other title documents for the properties.
Under questioning from EFCC’s prosecution lawyer, Christopher Mshelia, the witness said a man named Shaka Braimah later picked up the title documents for the three plots from the Federal Capital Territory Department of Land Administration.
According to him, these three companies were the rightful allottees of the plots, the Whistler reported.
The witness added that Shaka Braimah collected the title documents for the three properties from the FCT Department of Land Administration.
He mentioned that the EFCC invited Mrs Godwin-Isaac and the other defendants for questioning after obtaining the documents related to the properties.
However, Mr Gbigbadua pointed out that the defendants could not provide any documents showing that the land had been transferred to them by the original allottees.
He revealed that they did not produce any deed of assignment, power of attorney, or other authorization to sell the properties.
Despite this, the witness stated that Homadil Realty Limited and Rychado Homes Limited provided offer letters, payment receipts, and other documents to those who bought parts of the land.
He insisted that the documents from the companies could not be compared with the real title documents from the Department of Land Administration.
The witness accused the defendants of misleading the public by claiming to be owners of the disputed plots or authorized sellers.
Court Proceedings
Earlier, Abdulhamid Wundil, the fourth prosecution witness from the FCT Department of Land Administration, confirmed that a letter allowed the issuance of the plots to Shaka Braimah.
But during cross-examination by defense lawyer Christopher Oshomeghie, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Wundil admitted he could not find the department’s copy of the letter.
He stated that the letter was issued in 2007 when the department was in Wuse, Abuja. He said it might have been lost in transit.
The proceedings also saw Mrs Godwin-Isaac return to court after Judge Abdulmalik ordered the EFCC to arrest her when she missed a previous hearing.
The EFCC brought her to court on Thursday. However, the judge turned down the EFCC’s request to keep her in custody until the next trial date.
The arrest order came after disagreements about the EFCC's ongoing presence at Mrs Godwin-Isaac's Guzape home related to another civil case about a disputed property.
At the last hearing, EFCC lawyer Benedict Ubi accused Mrs Godwin-Isaac of being under what he called “self-imposed house arrest.”
Mr Ubi alleged she blocked EFCC officials from enforcing the forfeiture order and violated her bail conditions by traveling outside the court's jurisdiction.
But her lawyer, Mr Oshomeghie, disagreed.
He told the court that EFCC agents had surrounded his client’s house for 23 days, preventing her from leaving.
Mr Oshomeghie said Mrs Godwin-Isaac stayed indoors out of fear for her safety and that it harmed her health.
The EFCC rejected these claims, saying Mrs Godwin-Isaac had keys to the house and had locked herself inside while its officials were outside to enforce the court order.
After hearing from both sides, Mrs Abdulmalik ordered the EFCC to take Mrs Godwin-Isaac into custody and produce her in court on Thursday.
The commission complied but the judge refused to grant its request to hold her in custody until the next trial date.
The EFCC charged the defendants on June 18, 2025, in two separate cases.
The first charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/77/2025, has five counts, while the second, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/76/2025, has 17 counts.
Prosecution claims the defendants used fake documents, including forged powers of attorney, to sell land and take money from victims, while laundering the money through company accounts.
The disputed properties include Plot 4022 in Guzape District and Plots 1861, 1862, and 1863 in Katampe District, Abuja.
One victim is Mrs Yesufu, a 79-year-old widow. She accused Mrs Godwin-Isaac, also known as Bilikisu Ishaku Aliyu, of leading the alleged land fraud.
The defendants have denied all allegations.
A witness, Abu Gambo, earlier told the court he lost N62 million after buying two plots in Katampe, only to find out later that the titles for the properties had disappeared from the records of the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS).
The court had earlier granted the defendants bail of N10 million each with two sureties. The court also ordered the confiscation of their travel documents.
Mrs Abdulmalik adjourned the trial until October 26 for continuation.
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