A Nigerian-born US army veteran, Joseph Ogwuche, and Nigerian music star, Felix Duke are at war with each other over an alleged N23 million Creative Industry Group, CIG, real estate fraud.

While Ogwuche claimed that he was defrauded through false representation by Duke, the music star insisted that it was a real estate deal that unintentionally went wrong.

In a petition to the Police at the State CID in Panti, Lagos by his legal representative, Vox Dei Attorneys, Ogwuche alleged that Duke made claims regarding the Creative Industry Power Estate, which moved him to part with his hard-earned money in the name of buying land from him.

According to the petition, Duke had said that the land overlooked the Atlantic seaside in Ibeju-Lekki, precisely at Ise-Akodo; covered by a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), and that a plot sold for N3.7 million. Ogwuche said he subscribed for 10 plots of the alleged land at the price of N37 million.

“By March 2022, our client had made part payment in the sum of N22million. He, however, paused further payment to Duke after his discreet inquiry from the Baale of Ise community in Ibeju-Lekki revealed that Duke was entirely unknown to them and that no such ‘Creative Industry Group Estate’ exists in their ancestral land.

Ogwuche claimed he had previously paid Duke the sum of N22 million, and was asked to pay the said balance of N7 million to make up N30 million, being the price of the two plots of land at Sangotedo.

This, according to Duke, will enable him to get liquid enough to approach Alausa for the registration and confirmation of his title to another land at Sangotedo land. To substantiate his suspicion that Duke was only minded at scamming him yet again, Ogwuche, through his lawyers, applied to the Office of the Surveyor General of Lagos State, Alausa requesting for a Charting Report in respect of the said 19 plots as drawn in the draft survey plan forwarded to Ogwuche by Duke, and it was found to be fake.

Reacting to the allegations, Duke denies defrauding him. He explained that Ogwuche, who is not a member of CIG, approached him through a member to purchase 10 plots of land from ongoing sales in their CIG Estate.

According to him, there was a mix-up with the company through which Ogwuche intended to use in making the purchase, which was also communicated to him. As a result, Duke said he offered him alternative land at Sangotedo at N15million per plot to compensate him for the money he had paid.

“The police made their investigations and found out I didn’t defraud anybody. When Ogwuche found out that the police didn’t favour him, he went to the Nigeria Police Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja.

“The department came to Lagos and took the file because the Alagbon police station wanted to take the case to court,” he said, adding that he had petitioned the Inspector General of Police, demanding the prosecution of Ogwuche for attempting to murder him over the matter. (Text, excluding headline: Vanguard)