Two arraigned for using dead surveyor’s name to defraud victims

The Lagos State Police Command has arraigned two men for allegedly using the name of a dead Surveyor to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians.

The accused, Moses Ayodele and Oluwatobi Ononuga, were arraigned at Ikeja Magistrate Court, sitting at Ogundu, for impersonation, forging of stamp and seal belonging to the late surveyor.

The accused were said to have conspired with others still at large, to commit felony to with impersonation and forgery, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2015 .

Ayodele and Ononuga were also accused of forging a stamp and seal belonging to a deceased registered surveyor, Late Victor Okolo to prepare counterfeit survey plans to unsuspecting members of the public, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 365 subsection (1) of the criminal law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2015.

However, a petition signed by Barrister Shamsideen Olaleye, who acted as solicitors to Gracias Property and Sylvia Property, claimed that Ayodele presented himself as a registered surveyor to their companies and they have had him on the list of the companies’ consultants as one of the companies registered surveyors.

According to the petition, Ayodele has drawn many survey plans for many individuals who had purchased landed properties from the companies without any of them suspecting that the survey plans were fake.
According to Olaleye, on  October 26, 2017, one Mrs Winifred reported at Ketu Police Divisional, that the survey plan given to her by one of the surveyors of the companies was fake and subsequent upon this discovery, she called on the Association of Private Practicing Surveyors of Nigeria (APPSN), Lagos Branch to intervene in her matter.

The Chairman, Association of Private Practicing Surveyors of Nigeria Lagos Branch, Surveyor Odetunmibi Olufemi , who confirmed the case said the Association discovered that the accused persons prepared the survey plan using the name of a late member of  the association and were parading themselves as registered surveyors before they were caught.

Olufemi noted with grave concern the activities of quacks and unscrupulous elements parading themselves as land surveyors, stressing that quacks in Lagos were tarnishing the image of the association.

According to him, members of public willingness to cut corners, often leads them to quacks. This, according to him, was responsible for the numerous fake land surveys in circulation.

He further urged members of the public, to report  suspected cases of fake surveys to security agencies whenever they come across any.

The Branch Secretary of the Association Surveyor, Adedeji Olanrewaju, said: “When the Association got the report, we immediately intervened. We’re glad that the technical knowhow of the suspects were put to test. The company where they worked as consultants had been made to believe that the suspects were registered Surveyors all these years. We have it on good record that he has his office address at No. 33 Yusuf Street, Araromi Bus stop, Iyana Ipaja, and has been using the name of a late Surveyor to defraud unsuspecting clients and persons.”