|By Adejumo Adekunle
Popular Lagos socialite, Mr. Olaseni Johnson Olayinika, widely known as Abu Abel, has been arrested over his alleged role in a ₦447 million land scam.
The arrest was carried out by operatives of the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID), Alagbon, led by CSP Taiwo Oyewole on the directive of Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Margaret Ochalla. The suspect, who had reportedly been evading arrest for several weeks, was tracked to a residence in Victoria Island, where he was taken into custody without resistance.
The case stems from a petition filed by Doyin Investment Group of Companies, which accused Abel of fraudulently selling them three plots of land located at Augustina Orji Street, within the Ojomu Chieftaincy Family land, Oke-Arin Village, Mayegun, in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos. According to the petition, the transaction took place in 2023 after the suspect allegedly posed as the rightful owner of Plots 1, 4, and 10, covering approximately 1,800.311 square metres. A Deed of Assignment was signed and the full amount of ₦447 million was paid.
The company later discovered that the land was already encumbered and under third-party claim. When confronted, Abel reportedly acknowledged he was aware of the issue and agreed to refund the money. He began partial repayments and had returned ₦230 million before allegedly defaulting on the remaining ₦217 million. The petitioner also claimed that Abel became evasive and began issuing threats to company officials.
In a bid to resolve the dispute, the suspect signed a written undertaking on January 11, 2024, agreeing to refund the balance and pledging his property at Block C, Plot 22, Oba Amusa Adebambo Avenue, Lekki as collateral. However, rather than fulfilling this agreement, he filed a fundamental human rights enforcement suit, a move police sources described as an attempt to obstruct justice.
After weeks of intelligence gathering, the Alagbon Tactical Team located and arrested the suspect at a Victoria Island residence. A senior officer confirmed that Abel is also being investigated for alleged affiliations with a secret cult group suspected to be involved in high-profile fraud, land racketeering, and criminal intimidation across Lagos and Ogun States.
Documents recovered from the suspect included payment receipts, the Deed of Assignment, signed undertakings, and communication records with the complainant company.
Abu Abel is expected to be arraigned soon on multiple charges including obtaining money under false pretence, criminal breach of trust, and conspiracy to defraud, in violation of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, and the Criminal Code Act.
Meanwhile, Doyin Investment Group has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, to ensure that the suspect is prosecuted and the outstanding ₦217 million recovered. A representative of the company stated, “This was a calculated fraud. We trusted the system, paid the money legally, and now the company is suffering losses. We commend the Police for tracking him down, and we are confident that justice will be served.”
Efforts to obtain reactions from persons linked to the suspect’s hideout were still ongoing at the time of filing this report. Attempts to reach the FCID Alagbon Annex spokesperson, Ameenat Maiyegun, were unsuccessful, as calls to her mobile line went unanswered.
