Olutowo Shomade-Oshin
Queja 160605 Detalles

In late 2006, my cousin, Kayode Adesalu, introduced us to Olutowo Shomade-Oshin during her visit to the UK. Olutowo explained that she had procured two plots of land for my cousin in Lekki and that if we were interested, she was willing to help us as well. We spoke at length and she came across as a genuine and honest person. She listed part of her credentials as a chartered accountant and a politician and that we had nothing to worry about and that she had bought land for other friends and colleagues and said that if my husband and I were interested in buying parts of the land in Ogombo Village, Ajah, Lekki, she would arrange it.

Because a relative had introduced her to us, we agreed that we would be interested in investing and purchasing 2 plots of land. At the time of the meeting with her, we agreed the price for the 2 plots of land and in March 2007, my husband went to Nigeria to choose the land and to complete the transactions.

For the land and surveyor’s fees, my husband gave Olutowo Shomade-Oshin the total sum of 4 million (4M) naira, made up of cash in £ sterling, a cheque drawn from our bank account in Nigeria and 2 brand new Acer Laptops that she had begged us to help her buy in England because she needed it for her accountancy business. She specifically asked for the cheque to be issued to her accountancy business.

She assured us that the land was genuine and that we had nothing to worry about and that she would keep an eye on it. My husband left for England rest assured that we had bought 2 plots of land in Lekki.

Eventually in late 2007, I received a surveyor’s plan for the land. In June 2008, my cousin gave me his survey plan for safekeeping and out of curiosity, I compared both survey plans and discovered to my horror that she had given us the same and exact survey plan. Both survey plans were identical apart from the fact that one had my cousin’s name on and the other had our names on it.

I became suspicious and called Olutowo in Nigeria, she assured me that it was a genuine mistake and that I should not worry and that she would sort it out and bring a new survey plan when next she is visiting England.

When she came to England in December 2008, I went to see her and to my disappointment, she gave me excuses and blamed her business associate for failing to produce a new survey plan and promised me that the new survey plan will be ready for when next I am in Nigeria.

In July 2010, I visited Nigeria with the sole purpose of starting work on the land. I met up with Olutowo and she showed me our supposed plots of land. I asked Olutowo for the survey plan, she kept avoiding the issue. I eventually confronted her and then she asked me to pay 300,000 naira for the cost of another survey. I was furious and refused to pay for a second survey plan and told her in no uncertain terms that I had no intention of paying. She had already being paid and it is therefore her responsibility to ensure that we get a genuine survey plan. To date we have never received a new survey plan.

My time in Nigeria had run out but I left the matters with one of my cousin in Nigeria. In 2011, although I did not have an updated survey plan, I got fed up of waiting and subsequently instructed my cousin to clear the land with the help of a family surveyor. Few weeks after we had the cleared the land, I received a call from one of my relatives telling us that someone had erected a low wall on our land and that furthermore, they had erected a high wall on my cousin’s land as well, which is adjacent to ours.

My husband and I had several heated conversations with Olutowo early this year. She claimed that our two plots had been sold. She then asked us to pay her another 400,000 naira towards an alternative land. She claimed that this money was surveyor’s fee. We refused to pay the 400,000 naira but agreed to inspect the newly proposed parcel of land and this time, we made sure that we carried out basic due diligence as we did not trust her. To our disgust and amazement, we discovered that the parcel of land that we were being offered is a government acquisition land and they were trying somewhat to pass it off fraudulently as their own.

We have asked for her to return my money plus interests but she is refusing. She denied taking money from us. She abused our trust, we feel humiliated and let down by her. She had no right to embezzle our money. She is dishonest, arrogant, lacks integrity and thinks that she is above the law.