IN most instances in Africa, especially, Nigeria, land matters are usually a very sensitive case. Three things are likely to be involved; it is either the real land owners sell to two people and retrieve the said land in either a forceful manner or sell to sell the piece of land to someone else under the false pretence that the owner failed to develop it for a period of time.
In the case of Evangelist Aragbaye and Deaconess Adetoun Oladeji, a.k.a “For the Mama ke”, where both claimed their innocence, the over two years of battle to determine whether the land sold by the former was a case of fraud or otherwise is beginning to take another dimension.
Nigerian Tribune investigations revealed that both Evangelist Aragbaye and Mrs Oladeji met during a church programme where the gospel artiste was invited to minister. After the programme, the duos’ relationship was further cemented by a church friend who made it possible for them to meet again, after the first experience.
Today, the rosy relationship has gone sour. Evangelist Aragbaye allegedly paid N6,000,000 for three hectares of land allegedly belonging to Mrs Oladeji (For the Mama ke). For over two years, the land in question had not been delivered while Aragbaye’s money had not been repaid.
In a chat with the Nigerian Tribune, Evangelist Aragbaye said Mrs Oladeji was introduced to her by a woman elder in a church whom she respected a lot. According to her, “I wanted to fulfil God’s word by extending his mission as per instruction, so I was looking for a parcel of land and when Mama ke was introduced as a land seller, I accepted her land proposal and paid for it. I simply trusted her (Mama Ke), as she claimed that she was a deaconess. I ensured that I did all the paper works before I discovered that the real land owner was not Mama ke. The owner told me that Mama didn’t have such land in the area. My effort at reclaiming my money for over two years has grown from headache to fear because there have been threats to my life.”
Evangelist Aragbaye’s fear, Nigerian Tribune learnt, was not unconnected with the status of the cheque issued her by Mrs Oladeji. The N6.5m cheque dated 5-10-2010 remains uncleared since August 2011. Two years after the cheque bounced, Aragbaye has not reclaimed her money. It was gathered that all effort to retrieve her money failed. She informed that the last meeting scheduled for Mrs Oladeji’s lawyer’s office (Barrister Lowo Obisesan, the current Commissioner for Environment and Habitat), clearly confirmed her fears.
“When the cheque Mama gave bounced, we agreed that a meeting be held at the instance of one of his sons, Akinyele Oladeji. But on that day, something else happened. The police orderly attached to the lawyer, who is now a commissioner in the current administration in Oyo State almost shot me. I was not comfortable with the arrangement, so I left that place. I was surprised to hear that because I left on that day, I should not ask for my money again, Aragbaye said.
Nigerian Tribune also noticed, upon scrutiny of the receipt allegedly issued by ‘Mama ke’ to Aragbaye, that it was not dated.
When Nigerian Tribune contacted Mrs Oladeji, she denied defrauding Evangelist Aragbaye but could not explain why the money paid for the land remained unreturned. She also agreed that she sold three hectares of land to Aragbaye sometime ago but that some ‘omo onile’ (Land Owners) had deprived her of the real ownership over 11 years ago. She said “I sold a parcel of land to her but the land was embroiled in a tango with the Omo oniles. The family that sold land to me is the one I lost at the location where I sold to two parties, not Aragbaye alone.
“When we discovered what happened, and that Aragbaye could not take possession of the said property, I tried all means to placate her to the extent that I gave her an advance cheque of N6,500,000. However, I told her not to present the cheque in the bank until I instructed her to do so. She however went ahead to present it the cheque didn’t clear,” she said.
When asked why she had dated the cheque knowing that it wouldn’t clear, she did not comment.
Mrs Oladeji however added that there had been arrangement to settle the matter, but that the gospel artiste was not patient enough to let the meeting hold.
“There were two meetings arranged to settle the matter, the first, she didn’t come and the second one scheduled to hold at my lawyer’s office- Lowo Obisesan, who is now the commissioner for Environment and Habitat, she left in annoyance when she was told to subject herself to a search”, Mama ke said.
When contacted on phone, Mrs Oladeji’s son, Akinyele, on whose instance the peace parley was arranged, informed the Nigerian Tribune that he agreed to pay the money because he admitted that a transaction existed between his mother and Aragbaye. He said that Mrs Oladeji bought the land over 11 years ago and there was a problem of ownership on the side of the family that sold the land to her.
Akinyele also confirmed that two parties, who bought land from his mother had problems and that he decided to re-pay all the parties involved, explaining that that was what brought him into the picture. Akinyele however said that his mother is not a fraudster. “She’s over 83, somebody that was well known in the society and who had made money and fame when she was younger. At 83, she can’t be involved in something of such.
“I told the two parties that were involved that I was only trying to make peace. We agreed on 60 per cent of the total sum and we were about doing that in her own case hanging before she left in anger,” Akinyele said.
Barrister Lowo Obisesan, Mama ke’s lawyer, in his reaction said, “Mama Adetoun was my client before I became the commissioner. She came to me and explained what transpired. I listened to the facts of the case and I said nobody could intimidate her. We tried to settle the case amicably and invited all the parties involved. It is unfortunate that she (Aragbaye) believed that she was highly connected and she can use blackmail to collect her money from the woman.
“They deceived the woman(Mrs Oladeji) to show her a land over 11 years ago. When she now sold it and the buyer, which happened to be Aragbaye, wanted to take possession of the land, some other people came to say they were the real owners. I can say that Mama Oladeji had no dubious intention. Aragbaye is only using the press and influential people to blackmail her way to get her money”, Obisesan said.
Aragbaye’s lawyer at the Law Hub, Lawyer Akin Olujimi, who was represented by Lawyer Alabi, in a chat with the Nigerian Tribune revealed that the supposed meeting was not to broker peace but to intimidate his client after she was subjected to a ‘search before entry’. He stated that the land in question was sold, with the seller knowing full well that the land was not hers. “In such a case as this, the transaction is a fraud”, Aragbaye’s lawyer, Alabi, said.
Nigerian Tribune investigations also revealed that since the last peace meeting broke down, there had not been any move from Mrs Oladeji to refund Aragbaye’s N6m. Before it became public knowledge, Aragbaye it was learnt, had tried within her capacity to settle the matter, calling on eminent personalities to help appeal to Mama Oladeji to refund her money.
The development was considered as blackmail by Mrs Oladeji, who informed the Nigerian Tribune that she was planning to refund Aragbaye’s money until her son, Akinyele opted to intervene. However, despite her son’s intervention through the peace parley which broke down, it seems no effort is in pipeline to pay her soon.
Mrs Oladeji however told the Nigerian Tribune that her readiness to refund Aragbaye led her into promising to put one of her buildings for sale. However, till now, two years on, Aragbaye’s N6.5m remains a mirage.
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