Two lawyers, Ademola Owolabi and Adebayo Akeju, were on Monday arraigned before the Lagos State High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square for alleged forgery and wilful destruction of property.
They were arraigned alongside a real estate developer, Alex Ochonogor, before Justice Serifat Sonaike.
The trio faced a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy to commit forgery, forgery, and wilful destruction of property, preferred against them by the Lagos State Government under suit number LD/23611C/2024.
According to the prosecution, the defendants allegedly forged land documents and were involved in the illegal demolition of property in the Lekki area of Lagos.
When the matter was called, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr. Babajide Martins, appeared for the state.
However, Dr. Abiodun Layonu (SAN) represented the first defendant, M.A. Bashua (SAN) represented the second defendant, while Tony Ejere appeared for the third defendant.
Martins informed the court that the defendants conspired among themselves and forged a demolition notice Notice No. 0000025 titled, “Audit of Illegal Structures within Government Schemes Acquisition and Revocation Areas.” The notice was purportedly issued by the Governor’s Office, Lands Bureau, Directorate of Land Regularisation, Secretariat, Alausa.
He further alleged that the trio, along with others now at large, forged an affidavit of loss of Certificate of Occupancy purportedly sworn at the Registry of the Ministry of Justice, Alausa, on September 23, 2014. The forged document falsely claimed that the original Certificate of Occupancy No. 36/36/1994W, issued to Hamza Al-Mustapha, had gone missing. Al-Mustapha is a retired Nigerian Army major and former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha.
Martins said the offences were committed sometime in 2015 at 8604 Safe Court Apartments, Ikate, Lekki. He added that the defendants also forged a memorandum of loss and wilfully demolished a bungalow located at Plot 10, Block 133, Lekki Peninsula Residential Scheme I.
The demolished property reportedly belongs to one Dr. Obidigwe Eze, a Nigerian based abroad.
According to the prosecutor, the offences committed contravened Sections 411, 361(1), and 350 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
All three defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
“In view of the defendants pleading not guilty, I will ask for a trial date,” Martins told the court.
Counsel for the first defendant, Dr Abiodun Layonu (SAN), moved his client’s bail application dated March 19, 2025.
“We filed a further affidavit in support dated March 3, 2025,” he said. “Our application was filed under Section 115(2). It is an application to admit the first defendant to bail. The first defendant has no criminal record. We urge the court to grant him bail on self-recognisance.
“We filed a 13-paragraph affidavit deposed to by the first defendant, Ademola Owolabi. I rely on all the paragraphs and also the written address. The first defendant is a legal practitioner, he is not a flight risk. I have worked with him. I put myself forward that he be released to me,” he added.
The second defendant’s counsel, M. A. Bashua (SAN), said Akeju’s bail application was filed on March 4, 2025. He also urged the court to grant bail on self-recognisance.
“He is a legal practitioner of 34 years. He has no criminal record. It is one of those matters where a legal practitioner is put into the fire of tests,” Bashua said.
“The second defendant has developed major health issues since this matter started. I assure you, My Lord, that he will not jump bail.”
For the third defendant, his counsel, Tony Ejere, urged the court to grant bail in liberal terms.
