Developer defrauds 72 prospective tenants of N16m

LAGOS — Operatives at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad have arrested an estate developer who allegedly swindled over 72 prospective tenants of N16 million being payment for some blocks of flat located in Ikotun area of Lagos. Arrested along side the developer identified as Alhaji Lateef Akinjumi, were two of his aides simply called Ife and Tokunbo who allegedly conspired with their boss to swindle the unsuspecting victims.
Report said some of the prospective tenants paid as much as N1million as two years rent for a three bedroom apartment in the five-storey building which was still under construction.
Some of the victims were identified as Blessing Alphonsus, Okolo Uju, Otung Francis, Patrick Imonitie, Chukwudi Olike, Wilson Udegbunam, Emeka Nzeako, Edwin Agu, Tunde Hassan, Sarafa Yusuf, Ikenna Nwachukwu, Mrs. Tina Akinjimi and Bose Egan.
According to reports, the bubble burst weekend, after a family said to have brought their property towards packing into one of the flats, discovered it was occupied by another person.
This led to an uproar, during which other persons said to have paid gathered in front of the house located on  23 Opeloyeru Street, off Ikotun Egbe.
Eyewitness account said a fight ensued as the victims engaged each other in a duel for the keys to the respective apartments they paid for.
But the developer according to one o f the victims, engaged the services of armed hoodlums to unleash terror on them.
One of the victims, who identified himself as Izuagba said he was defrauded of N3 million.
According to him: “The agent in question is my friend and he wanted me to pump money to develop the land but the deal didn’t work out so they brought in another developer.
“When the developer could not meet up with the financial obligations, I was called to finance the project, with a promise to give me a section as a guest house after its completion”.
“I only returned from a journey and decided to go see the supposed property only to find a crowd fighting over the apartment.”
The suspects on their part, reportedly promised to refund the money.