Contestant for Ooni stool in alleged N400m fraud, forgery

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Adeyeye Ogunwusi

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has begun investigation into allegations of forgery, fraudulent conversion and obtaining the sum of N400m by false pretence against Mr. Adeyeye Ogunwusi and his firm, Metropole Interproject Limited.

Ogunwusi is one of the contestants for the vacant stool of the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Osun State.

In a petition written by the chambers of Rotimi Jacobs & Co. dated September 7, 2015, Messrs Sijuwade Holdings Limited stated that in 1993, it purchased a parcel of land measuring 30,000 square metres from the Ojomu Chieftaincy Family at the Lekki peninsula, Lagos, and duly obtained the Governor’s Consent to the transaction.

Thereafter, SHL claimed it entered into an agreement with Metropole Interproject Limited for the latter to sand-fill the entire parcel of land, and that upon completion of the sand filling, Metropole would be given 7,500 square metres from the land “to serve as the company’s fees.”

The petition stated that after the completion of the sand-filling, Metropole offered to develop the remaining portion of land for SHL, adding that the offer was accepted on the condition that the development would be in phases.

The petition further stated, “Meanwhile, before our client got to know about the fraudulent activities of Mr. Ogunwusi/Metropole, our client had, in line with the agreement it had with Mr. Ogunwusi/Metropole, issued title in favour of Metropole and its nominees for the units due to the company.

“Apart from the forgery earlier complained about, Mr. Ogunwusi/Metropole has also sold the eight duplex units that ought to have accrued to our client and he converted the proceeds, running into N400m, to his personal use.”

The petitioner, therefore, asked the EFCC to investigate the circumstances under which the title documents were allegedly forged.