The [Economic and Financial Crimes Commission](https://www.efcc.gov.ng) has transferred N107 million recovered from a contested land transaction to a Lagos citizen who approached the agency after failing to secure possession of the plot.
In a Monday briefing, the commission’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, explained that the sum was given to the complainant through his legal representative, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Babatunde Oni.
The hand‑over occurred at the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 office located in Ikoyi, [Lagos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagos), on 30 September.
According to the statement, the complainant alleged that he was cheated in a deal that involved individuals named Adeola Ibrahim, Bolanle Bamgbose and others.
The EFCC reported that the victim first learned of a parcel on Iya Oloye Crescent, off Ikorodu Road, in October 2024, after being introduced to the opportunity by Olalekan Kazeem and a second party referred to as Alfa.
The plot was initially priced at N150 million.
Subsequently, the petitioner hired Bolanle Bamgbose & Associates to verify the title and manage the transaction with a supposed seller’s agent known as Monsuru, popularly called “Area”.
However, the total amount eventually paid exceeded the original agreement.
The commission’s findings show the victim disbursed N163 million to the law firm, N3 million to Kazeem, described as an agent, and N1.575 million to a surveyor, bringing the overall outlay to N167.575 million.
Despite the payments, the buyer could not take ownership of the land after a dispute emerged, and his attempts to retrieve the money or obtain the property proved futile.
He then filed a petition with the EFCC through Babatunde Oni, alleging that the parties involved obtained his funds through false pretence, conspiracy and extortion.
The EFCC’s investigation resulted in the recovery of N107 million, which was returned to the complainant on 30 September. This amount represents roughly two‑thirds of the N167.575 million he claimed to have paid, leaving about N60.575 million still unrecovered.
The agency recently arraigned a man for an alleged N13.6 million property fraud case at the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan.
In July, the commission also announced the prosecution of two brothers for purported land fraud in Port Harcourt, as well as the charging of two FCDA staff members over alleged property fraud.
During the hand‑over, Acting Zonal Director of Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Bawa Kaltungo, affirmed that the EFCC will keep pursuing the recovery of assets linked to financial crimes and will return them to legitimate owners when identified.
The commission emphasized that this case forms part of its broader effort to tackle suspected land and property fraud across the country.