It is shocking and deeply disturbing that veteran singer, Ms. Uche Ibeto, popularly known as the Jigida Queen has been thrown out of her Surulere home of over 50 years in what bears every mark of a fraudulent property scam.
To think that Cecil Ezem Osakwe, a property developer already standing trial in Abuja for multiple land-grabbing offenses and illegal evictions, has now carried his operations to Lagos is alarming. Even worse, reports allege that Victor Giwa, a lawyer already linked to similar scams, appeared on both sides of the Surulere case representing both claimant and defendant. This pattern is not new.
In Abuja, their history is well documented. In a case before the High Court in Kuje, Giwa filed a suit on behalf of Cecil Osakwe and at the same time fielded Baba Sarki, a former lawyer who once worked in Giwa’s Law Firm as the defendant. This fraudulent tactic was intended to secure a judgment in Osakwe’s favour. Thankfully, the court saw through the deception and dismissed the case.
But the scam continues. After Kuje, Osakwe and Giwa attempted similar schemes in Kwali Area Council, and now, having failed repeatedly in Abuja, they have turned to Lagos. The modus operandi is the same: create sham defendants, rely on falsified documents, obtain compromised judgments, and then use the police to enforce violent evictions against lawful occupants.
In Ms. Ibeto’s case, properties worth over ₦500 million belonging to her and her tenants were sealed, stolen, or destroyed. Thugs now occupy the premises while illegal demolition and construction is ongoing. This is not just a civil dispute, it is organized property fraud.
We call on:
• The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Body of Benchers to investigate and sanction Victor Giwa and Cecil Osakwe who are both lawyers, and set a strong example that the legal profession will not be used as a tool for land scams.
• The AIG Zone 2 Police Command to investigate, arrest, and charge both Cecil Osakwe and Victor Giwa for this fraud.
• The Lagos State Judiciary to probe the judgment that led to this unlawful eviction and ensure that justice is restored to Ms. Ibeto.
Lagos cannot become a safe haven for notorious property developers. The case of Ms. Uche Ibeto is not isolated but part of a consistent pattern across Abuja and now Lagos. Justice demands that the alledged fraud be exposed, the perpetrators punished, and the dignity of victims like Ms. Ibeto restored.
Suleiman Salisu
Human Rights Activist, Abuja
