By Oso Abidemi
A prosecution witness, Abu Gambo, has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that land records for two plots he paid N62 million for vanished from the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS), after he made the payments.
Testifying on Monday before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, Gambo, a businessman, said he paid Rebecca Godwin-Isaac and her company, Homadil Realty Limited, N62 million for Plots 17 and 18 within Plot 1862, Katampe District, Abuja.
He said the transaction appeared legitimate until the documents he verified at AGIS suddenly disappeared from the system after the EFCC marked the property in September 2024.
Gambo said he was introduced to Ms Godwin-Isaac in 2023 and was shown a Right of Occupancy (R-of-O) and other documents allegedly issued by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).
He paid N35 million for Plot 17 and N27 million for Plot 18, plus N1.5 million for supervision, receiving various allocation letters and certificates signed by Godwin-Isaac.
However, when he returned to AGIS in 2024, he discovered the land details had vanished from their system.
He claimed Godwin-Isaac offered to refund the money but became upset when questioned.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is prosecuting Godwin-Isaac, her company Homadil Realty, Richard John, and Rychado Homes Limited on 17 counts of land fraud and money laundering.
The EFCC tendered documents issued to the witness, including a photocopy of the R-of-O, which the court admitted as evidence.
While Godwin-Isaac admitted issuing the documents, she claimed the R-of-O was only a photocopy.
The court adjourned the matter to 9 October for hearing on a preliminary objection filed by the defence.
Godwin-Isaac is also facing other land fraud cases involving over N800 million and allegations of using forged documents to acquire and sell properties across Abuja.
