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The CFL Group of Companies has given the Lagos State Land Registry a seven-day ultimatum to deregister an allegedly fraudulent land title or face legal action over a disputed property in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The property firm alleged that land speculators were exploiting weaknesses in the state’s land registration system to introduce forged documents into official records, making them appear authentic.
Speaking at a press conference on behalf of the company, its Group Managing Director, Lai Omotola, described the alleged practice as “Land Title Laundry” (LTL), warning that it posed serious risks to property owners, investors and financial institutions.
According to him, fraudsters target abandoned and high-value properties, particularly in Ikoyi and Victoria Island, fabricate historical land documents and subsequently introduce them into the Lagos State Land Registry through alleged compromised insiders.
He claimed that documents purportedly dating back to the 1970s were being prepared outside official government channels before being inserted into the registry.
“Once the document is captured in the system, it automatically gives the appearance of an original title,” Omotola said.
He alleged that the purported owners could subsequently declare the original documents missing, obtain police affidavits and proceed with property transactions, including securing a Governor’s Consent.
Omotola cautioned that a Governor’s Consent should not automatically be regarded as proof that the state government originally owned or allocated a property.
He explained that a Certificate of Occupancy and Governor’s Consent served different purposes, stressing that consent to a transaction did not necessarily resolve defects in the root of title.
He said the distinction was particularly important for banks, investors and prospective buyers who might be misled by official-looking documents.
The CFL Group chief further alleged that some banks had accepted cloned land documents as collateral for loans but discovered the purported fraud only after borrowers defaulted and attempts were made to enforce the securities.
Recalling the demolition of a market opposite the Lagos State Government House during the administration of former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Omotola alleged that forged land documents had been produced in connection with the case.
He said land fraud had since evolved from the physical production of fake documents to the alleged manipulation of official records.
Omotola said the CFL Group was involved in a property dispute over 24 Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, where the company had commenced construction before another firm allegedly arrived with policemen and claimed ownership based on a Governor’s Consent.
According to him, the rival claim traced the property’s ownership to Samuel Oladele Ige, who was purportedly said to have sold it in 2015 to Alhaji Ganiyu Amusan, father of businessman Tayo Amusan.
However, Omotola said the CFL Group’s investigation uncovered what he described as serious inconsistencies in the purported chain of title.
He claimed that members of the Ige family informed the company that Samuel Ige died in 2012, three years before the alleged transaction.
The family also reportedly told the company that there was no indication in Ige’s will that he owned the disputed property.
Omotola further alleged that Ganiyu Amusan died in 1994, raising questions about the purported 2015 transaction attributed to him.
He said the company’s investigation also uncovered a police affidavit purportedly sworn in Ige’s name in 2015, declaring that his original land certificate had been lost.
According to him, Ige’s first son, Niyi, disputed the photograph and signature on the affidavit, insisting that they did not belong to his late father.
Omotola also cited a purported letter of objection allegedly written by Ige and received by the Lagos State Land Registry on September 1, 2015, despite claims that he had died in 2012.
He said the Ige family subsequently petitioned the Land Registry, which allegedly investigated the matter and invited parties connected with the disputed title.
Omotola claimed that Amusan failed to honour the invitation on two occasions, while construction activities allegedly continued on the property.
The CFL Group managing director said the company had given the Registrar of Lands seven days to deregister the disputed Governor’s Consent or face legal action.
He said the company would seek N5 billion in damages, alleging that the disputed title had been used to interfere with its possession and development of the property.
“We have not been the beneficiaries of corruption in the system,” Omotola said, insisting that the company was seeking justice and accountability.
He called for an urgent investigation into the alleged manipulation of land records and stronger verification mechanisms to protect property owners, investors and financial institutions.
The allegations could not be independently verified at the time of filing. The Lagos State Government, the Land Registry and the other parties named in the dispute had yet to respond to the specific allegations.
