A house worth N45 million belonging to the Director General of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyitolu has been recovered by the Lagos State High Court.
The house which was “forcibly taken” from him by a woman Olaide Ibraheem said to be his ex-lover was recovered on Friday.
Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye had convicted Ms Ibraheem, a director in the Lagos State Office of Civic Engagement, of forgery.
Justice Ipaye imposed a fine of N750,000 on Ibraheem, in addition to ordering her to make restitution to Oke-Osanyintolu by returning the N45million property, identified as No. 1, Baba Yusuf Close, Alausa, Lagos.
Though the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions also accused Ibraheem of damaging the property, Justice Ipaye ruled that the prosecution failed to prove it and dismissed that count.
“The offence of forgery is established beyond reasonable doubt by the prosecution,” the judge ruled.
“There was no valid marriage between the defendant and the complainant and consent was not granted by the complainant to the defendant; there was forcible entry.
“The keys to the property were not voluntarily granted to the defendant; the prosecution has proven the offence of forcible entry beyond reasonable doubt.”
The judge ordered that Ibraheem must, within 30 days, both vacate the property and pay the N750,000 fine imposed on her, failing which she would be sent to jail for four years.
The Lagos DPP had on May 22, 2017 arraigned Ibraheem on three counts of forgery, forcible entry and criminal damage to a property, contrary to sections 52, 339 and 365(3) of the Criminal Law of Lagos 2015.
