Two separate investigations by different units of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Alagbon, Lagos, have produced conflicting findings over the ownership of a disputed Lekki property linked to Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd.), former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha.

The controversy began in April 2015 when estate developer and Managing Director of Bluecreast Homes Ltd, Alex Ochonogor, through his lawyer, Ademola Owolabi, reportedly paid N85m to Al-Mustapha’s lawyer, Adebayo Akeju, for the purchase of land located at Block 133, Plot 10 in Lekki Phase 1. The transaction was backed with documents, including a demolition notice and a memorandum of loss registered by Al-Mustapha in 2014 after allegedly misplacing the original title papers.

However, seven months later, a US-based medical doctor, Eze Obidigwe, also laid claim to the same property, insisting he had purchased it from Al-Mustapha as far back as May 2005. He subsequently filed a suit at the Lagos State High Court and petitioned the FCID.

SEB’s Findings

The Special Enquiry Bureau (SEB), in a 28-point report dated November 15, 2023, concluded that Al-Mustapha sold the same parcel of land to two different buyers. The SEB alleged that in a “desperate move” to facilitate the transaction, Al-Mustapha’s lawyer, Akeju, was involved in the demolition of a structure built by Obidigwe.

The report also faulted the Memorandum of Loss relied on by Ochonogor, describing it as forged. It concluded that a case of conspiracy, forgery, illegal encroachment, and contempt could be established against Al-Mustapha, Akeju, and Ochonogor, listing Obidigwe as the sole complainant.

GIS’s Counter-Report

In contrast, the General Investigation Section (GIS), in its 23-page report dated June 13, 2025, dismissed SEB’s conclusions as “compromised and witch-hunting.” The GIS stated that Al-Mustapha never signed a deed of assignment transferring the land to Obidigwe and maintained that the demolition notice was a legitimate document issued by the Lagos State Government in 2009.

The GIS excluded Al-Mustapha from its suspect list and instead listed Akeju, Owolabi, and others. It recommended forwarding the case file to the Directorate of Public Prosecution due to ongoing civil and criminal litigations.

Police Confirmation

Confirming the development, FCID spokesperson Mayegun Aminat said the case was re-investigated following a petition. She added that a competent court has requested a certified true copy of the latest report, which will soon be issued.

“I have just checked the report; the case was re-investigated. A certified true copy has been requested by a competent court and is being issued,” Aminat said, noting that the officers who led the probes were no longer serving at the FCID Lagos Annex.

The contradictory findings have left the fate of the Lekki property hanging, with the courts expected to determine the rightful owner.