THE Lagos State Government said it had investigated an alleged land scam involving Kayode Oladipo, client of RevolutionPlus Property Limited – a real estate company.
Oladipo had, in the viral video, accused RevolutionPlus of scamming him after he paid the company to acquire land on his behalf.
In the video, the man called on President Bola Tinubu and the Lagos state government to intervene in the case.
In Nigerian ppidgin English language, he said, “Tinubu, may you help me. I go commit suicide o. I go kill myself o. Lagos state, I go kill myself o. All the land wey I buy from RevolutionPlus, Emma Bamidele give me my property; see where I dey sleep; see where I dey sleep. You frustrate me; you frustrate my life…”
“Na una say make we dey abroad, make we work come home. I work all my money, I no get house for abroad; I work all my money come Nigeria, come Lagos, come buy property. Emma Bamidele scammed me. He scammed me all my life, all my money. Make una see where I dey sleep.”
In a nutshell, what he said was that President Bola Tinubu and the Lagos State government, through the governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, should intervene in the matter, or he would commit suicide.
He repeatedly called on RevolutionPlus’ boss to give him the property he paid for, as he lamented that the company had frustrated him that he now sleeps on the street after working for years abroad without owning a home outside the country.
He claimed he invested all his earnings in RevolutionPlus but was scammed by the firm.
One of the comments on the video reads: “Nigeria man based abroad cries out for help after he allegedly bought lands worth over N40 million from RevolutionPlus with no allocation.”
In a statement issued by the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA) and made available to The ICIR on Monday, January 22, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, directed LASRERA to investigate the matter.
Oladipo was allegedly scammed of about 20 plots of lands he supposedly bought in 2017 from RevolutionPlus without any physical allocation of the said plots.
The viral video prompted Sanwo-Olu to direct the Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, his Special Adviser on Housing, Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, and Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Housing, Gbolahan Toriola, to investigate the matter.
Odunuga-Bakare recalled that before the viral video, some concerns were raised by members of the public about the conduct of RevolutionPlus to some of its subscribers.
According to the statement, the LASRERA Law 2022 empowers the LASRERA to investigate petitions and complaints from members of the public to protect and promote sanity as well as boost further investors’ confidence both at home and foreign investments for the sector in Lagos State.
It stated that the RevolutionPlus Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director, Bamidele Onalaja, affirmed the client subscribed for 20 plots of land from the company at Dallas Court, Lekki and Royalty Gardens, Ajah, in Lagos state.
However, the client only paid for two out of the original 20 plots and the necessary documentation had been completed and handed over to him, adding that the company’s policy required relocating such subscribers to another site upon completion of payment or refund of the deposited sum less than 40 per cent.
Having defaulted in his payment pattern, RevolutionPlus relocated him to another land site at Amazon Estate, Epe, which he declined. At the same time, the client also rejected the option of refunding the sum advanced, Onalaja said.
The company also finalised the allocation of five plots to the client at Amazon Estate based on the payment made with necessary documents forwarded to him, the RevolutionPlus boss said, faulting the claim that the client paid N40 million to his company.
The client, however, maintained that he paid a deposit sum of N18.606 million to RevolutionPlus Property in 2017 and could not continue the payment as he initially agreed when he lost his job.
Before agreeing to the offer, he confirmed earlier declining the relocation option to Amazon Estate, Epe.
According to the Commissioner for Housing, the investigation will help find lasting solutions to frequent reports of fraudulent practices in the state’s real sector and thus protect the interest of investors in the real estate business transactions in Lagos State.