The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Paulinus Ani before Justice Mohammed Garba Umar at the Federal High Court in Enugu State on allegations of land fraud amounting to N8.1 million.
Ani is facing a one-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence, a violation of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act.
According to the EFCC, between October 2015 and June 2018, Ani allegedly deceived one Severus Ifeanyi Odoziobodo into paying N8,130,000 for seven plots of land in Enugu.
The purported transaction included three plots at Emene Industrial/Residential Layout and four plots at Independence Layout Phase II. Investigations revealed that these plots had already been sold to other individuals.
The charge read: “That you, Paulinus Ani, sometime between October, 2015 and June, 2018 at Enugu, Enugu State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, with intent to defraud, induced one Severus Ifeanyi Odoziobodo to deliver to you the sum of N8,130,000 under the pretence that you would sell to him seven plots of land… which pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14 of 2006.”
Ani pleaded not guilty to the charge. In response, EFCC’s counsel, Nasir Umar, requested a trial date and asked the court to remand the defendant at the Enugu Correctional Facility.
Defense counsel O. S. Imaji argued for bail, citing the defendant’s reliable surety and urging the court to consider liberal terms. He stated, “My Lord, the defendant has credible sureties and we ask that the court consider his bail application on these grounds.”
Opposing the application, Umar stressed the increasing trend of land scams in the region. “Land scam is becoming prevalent in Enugu,” Umar said, urging the court to reject the bail request.
Justice Umar eventually granted Ani bail in the sum of N10 million with two sureties in like sum, who must be residents of Enugu State. The judge ordered Ani’s remand at the Enugu Correctional Facility until he meets the bail conditions.
The case has been adjourned to January 23, 2025, for trial.
According to EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the investigation began following a petition by Ifeanyi Odoziobodo, who reported the alleged fraud in January 2021.
Odoziobodo claimed that Ani, posing as a Ministry of Land and Urban Development official, offered him plots of land in Emene and Independence Layout, which were later discovered to have already been sold to others. Despite repeated attempts to recover his money, Odoziobodo received no refund.
The EFCC has promised to pursue justice vigorously in this case, reiterating its commitment to tackling land fraud in Nigeria.
