Cry foul as Police grant bail to
Suspect without refund of millions fleeced from them in Port Harcourt
…Granted bail on Sunday evening by
Police
…Allocates one plot of land to about
10 persons
… Guarded by trucks of Soldiers,
Mopol attached to him with forged documents by Force headquarters
Daniel Efe/Port Harcourt
About one thousand (1000) persons who
bought plots of land through advertisement on radio by a Real Estate Developer,
Livelihood Homes, popularly called De-Villa Homes, have accused the Rivers
State Police Command of compromise by granting bail to the suspect, Dr. Kelly
Nworgu, arrested and put in custody on Friday, October 25 but released on
Sunday evening.
A 71year old man, Pa Amadi Lawrence,
who said he bought a plot of land for, N1, 020, 000(one million, twenty
thousand naira), lamented that he had to save up his retirement benefits to buy
the piece of land so as to build a house to retire into or possibly hand over
to his children, expressed disappointment that Police could discharge the boss
of the De-Villa, Dr. Felix Nworgu, after duping them. He said he would seek
natural justice.
Uloma Jane Ekwusigo, 29 years old said
her fiancée who lives and works abroad had sent her the money to buy the land,
she said ever since the land issues began her Fiancée had lost trust and
confidence in her, she said the situation has also caused her the cordial
relationship with his family as no one believes her, Uloma also expressed
disappointment that Police can grant bail to their oppressor on Sunday when its
known all over the country that Police do not grant bail on Sunday. She asked what
the hurry is.
Another victim of De-villa, Ibezim
Michael, also said, ‘’I suspect that De-villa man may have bribed the police.
Do you know the man has sweet mouth? He may have used his charm on the Police,
but believe me, one day he will meet his Waterloo. Imagine collecting money
from over one thousand people for a 100 plots of land. What was he thinking if
not to dupe people but police just let him off the hook like that, you see why
crime is thriving in our country abi?”
In his reaction, the Rivers Police
Command Spokesman, state DSP Nnamdi Omoni, also a Lawyer, explained to
Journalists that the suspect was released Sunday afternoon after the suspect
met his bail conditions and provided sureties for his bail.
Omoni said the crimes to which
De-Villa committed is a bail able offence, which was why the Command granted
him bail and released him.
Recall that boss of De-Villa, Dr. Felix Nworgu, was arrested on Friday October 25 evening after about 70 persons sent a ‘’Save Our Soul’’, SOS, petition to the Commissioner of Police, alleging that De-villa duped them of funds paid to acquire land at APO in Omagwa in Ikwerre local government area and Etche Local Government Area since 2018 and more than a year after no land has been given to them to develop despite paying the money in full.
The victims of land investors
expressed disappointment over the legal system of Nigeria and how it encourages
crime.
The police have arrested a popular
real estate developer Lively-Hood Homes owners of De-villa home Dr. FELIX
NWORGU for defrauding residents of alleged lands sold at APO in Omagwa and
Etche in Rivers state
The commissioner of CP Mustapha
Dandaura ordered his arrest after over 70 persons stormed the police
headquarters in rivers state demanding for a refund from Dr. Felix Nworgu who
had allegedly sold Land that is nonexistence to them.
The Police Boss CP Mustapha Dandaura
also ordered that all advert on de-villa home should be stopped in all Radio
and Television stations across the state to ensure that others don’t fall prey
to the antics of fraudsters who disguise as real estate owners and developers.
During interrogation of Dr. Felix Nworgu, the CP said he discovered that the three Truckloads of Mobile Policemen attached to the De-villa boss were allegedly gotten through the back doors as documents presented to him on the police security guard where all forged signatories which emanated from the force Headquarters in Abuja.
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The CP ordered that all the Police
aides attached to De-Villa, Felix Nworgu, be withdrawn with immediate effect
and commanded that the officers report to the headquarters on Monday for
profiling with their ammunition seized by the state command.
Earlier some of the petitioners
including senior citizens who told our correspondent that they invested in the
land as means of owing property to build a retirement home in the city not
envisaging that the transactions were going to be fraudulent.
For Mrs. Eva Brown said, “I paid
N2, 040, 000, (Two million forty thousand naira) for two plots at the rate of
one million twenty thousand per plot, since August 2018, ‘’one year since after
my purchase I am yet to get any plot allocated to me it’s been come today or
tomorrow, I just want a refund since I cannot get the land I paid for.”
And others who brought evidence of
paying for one, two and three plots of land at same APO Layout in Omagwa said
‘’we have been trying to get possession of our property, since after the
installments payment but to no avail, each time they allocate land to us and
you put pillars or beacon to demarcate the land if you come the next day, you
discover that someone else has already removed your beacon and when you go to
them they will tell you sorry that they will allot you another place, but we
don’t want another place but a refund of our monies.”
Mr. Ibezim Uche said; pointing, “Look
at the four of us sitting here, we were allocated to the same plot of land. We
are tired of fighting each other, we decided to come together to fight our
common enemy, which is the man that sold one plot of land to five of us, this,
DE villa man has finished us honestly. Instead of coming to fix the problems he
created, he wrote petition to the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State that
we were threatening his Life, now that we are here let him give us our money,
because there is no other means to get to him. If you go their Office at
Mgbouoba in Port Harcourt, the number of armed Mobile Policemen will not even
allow you to come close to the office.”
The alleged fraudster, Dr. Felix
Nwaorgu, in response admitted that all the documents presented by the
protesters were genuine but that the money has been used to purchase somewhere
else to be able to meet his or customers’ demands.