Enugu Govt Presents Documents To Assert Ownership of Abuja Property, Accuses Firm of Fraud

The Enugu State Government has reiterated its ownership of a disputed parcel of land located at Cadastral Zone B03, Wuye District, Abuja, accusing Simonis Ventures Nigeria Limited of attempting to fraudulently appropriate the property.

The state government said the land, identified as Plot 804 and measuring about 1.04 hectares, has never changed ownership since it was allocated to Enugu State in the early 1990s. It described claims by Simonis Ventures as baseless and fraudulent.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, the General Manager of the Enugu State Housing Development Corporation, Gerald Asogwa, said investigations by the Nigeria Police Force and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had established Enugu State Government as the rightful owner of the property.

He also presented documents to support the state’s claim.

Mr Asogwa explained that the original application for the land was made by the Enugu State Government in 1992 during the administration of former governor Okwesilieze Nwodo, and the allocation was granted on January 14, 1993.

However, he said the allocation was “erroneously” issued in the name of Enugu State Property Development Corporation, an entity he said never existed in law.

“There has never been any parastatal or corporation known as Enugu State Property Development Corporation at the time of allocation or thereafter,” he said. “The named allottee therefore lacked legal personality and contractual capacity from the outset.”

He alleged that despite this, the non-existent entity purportedly transferred the land to Simonis Ventures Nigeria Limited in 2002 through what he described as a forged and fraudulent irrevocable power of attorney.

According to him, the document was neither sealed nor endorsed with the governor’s consent as required by law, was not co-signed by any government official, and did not disclose the identity or designation of any lawful executor.
“The document was clearly concocted to deceive authorities,” Mr Asogwa said.

He said that following the discovery of the anomaly, the Enugu State Government applied to the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) and other FCT authorities for correction, leading to the cancellation of the wrongful allocation and the reallocation of Plot 804 to Enugu State Government.

Mr Asogwa said the state subsequently obtained a right of occupancy, certificate of occupancy and relevant building approvals, and commenced development on the site before what he described as the unlawful destruction of property by agents of Simonis Ventures.

He said police investigations could not lead to prosecution because the purported directors of Simonis Ventures were found to be “ghost identities” with non-existent addresses.

He also dismissed claims linking the ownership of the land to the family of the late Senator Ayogu Eze, noting that the former lawmaker had, during an EFCC investigation in 2015, affirmed that the land belonged to the Enugu State Government.

“The late senator was identified as the person who collected the certificate of occupancy on behalf of Enugu State Government and he never claimed ownership of the land,” Mr Asogwa said.
On a court order being relied upon by Simonis Ventures, the Enugu State Government said it was never served with any court process and only became aware of the matter after judgment had allegedly been delivered.

The government accused the company of abusing court process, noting that an order said to have been issued in 2016 only resurfaced in 2025, after the death of Senator Eze.

Mr Asogwa further alleged that the enforcement application fraudulently expanded the original court order by adding reliefs that were not contained in the original ruling.

He said records from the Corporate Affairs Commission showed that the original directors of the company were replaced with members of the deceased senator’s family.

The state government maintained that the court order being relied upon by Simonis Ventures was defective, alleging lack of service, forged proof of service, absence of a pre-action notice, and failure to present a certified true copy of the judgment.

It also accused Simonis Ventures, its alleged partner Zoe New Dawn, and one Stephen Achama of criminal conduct, including attacks on workers at the site, destruction of property and fraudulent marketing of the land.

According to Mr Asogwa, the land is currently being developed as Woodlands Estate by Tout Moi Nigeria Limited under a valid contractual arrangement with the Enugu State Government.

He warned members of the public against transacting with Simonis Ventures or its associates in respect of the property.

“Any such transactions are illegal, void and of no legal effect,” he said, insisting that Simonis Ventures has no valid interest in the land and no right to sell or otherwise deal with it.