By Gloria Ikibah
Members of the Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba Staff Housing Society have petitioned the Lagos State Ministry of Justice to take over the prosecution of some staff accused of land grabbing and advance fee fraud.
The petition, filed through their solicitors Centrepiece Partners, expresses concerns over the handling of the litigation by the Commission of Police, Special Fraud Unit, Lagos.
The accused staff include the President Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba Staff Housing Society, Sanni Attaiye Matthew, another member, one Farayibi Oluwabukola, and several others who are said to be at large.
It will be recalled that members of the FSTCY staff thrift cooperative society had in December 2023, petitioned the Commissioner of Police, Special Fraud Unit in Lagos, to lay their complaint of being denied their land allocations meant to be allotted on ‘first come, first serve’ basis.
The petitioners alleged Sanni Attaiye Matthew denied original subscribers of the staff cooperative group access to their land allocations while also allegedly converted landed property valued at ₦300 million to personal accounts.
This eventually led to the prosecution of the accused persons before a Federal High Court Lagos on a three count charge of defrauding the Society by false pretence.
The three count charge read in part: “That you SANNI ATTAIYE MATTHEW ‘M’ FARABIYI OLUWABUKOLA ‘F’ and others at large within the period of 2015 till 2024 in Lagos within the Jurisdiction of this Honorable Court did sell and convert Landed Property belonging to Federal Technical College Yaba Staff Housing Society valued 300,000,000 (Three Hundred Million Naira) to your own use and benefit which you knew or reasonably ought to have known was the proceed of an unlawful act by you to wit: Stealing and Fraud and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 18 (2b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act of 2011 as Amended in 2012 and punishable under Scction 18 (3) of the same Act.”
In a latest twist, however, the petitioners are seeking the intervention of the Director of Public Prosecution in the Lagos State Ministry of Justice to ensure that justice is served.
Writing a fresh petition through their lawyers dated February 26 2025, they appealed to the Director of Public Prosecution, Lagos State Ministry of Justice to take over the case citing reluctance of the Commission of Police, Special Fraud Unit, Lagos to prosecute the matter.
Their petition reads this:
“The PSFU’s Legal Team raised a 3 counts charge against these duo and others but they failed to appear in court after several invitations and notices by the police.
“This forced the prosecution to apply for and obtained an order dated 14” January, 2025 from the Federal High Court per Hon. Justice Kala declaring the 2 suspects i.e. MR. SANNI ATTAIYE MATTHEW AND MISS. FARAYIBI OLUWABUKOLA wanted and placed on wanted list by the Nigerian Police Special Fraud Unit, 13, Milverton Road, Ikoyi, Lagos until their arrest and prosecution.
“To our client’s utter dismay, the Commissioner of Police, in charge at the PSFU suo motu decided to halt the arraignment of the suspects.
“Upon the sudden appearance of MR. SANNI ATTAIYE MATTHEW at the Commissioner’s office. The Commissioner of Police solely decided to amicable resolve the matter. All our client’s call that the suspects be arraigned fell on the Commissioner’s deaf ears.
“This was when it dawned on our clients that the gentlemen must have been compromised by MR. SANNI ATTAIYE MATTHEW whose stalk in trade is to compromise all flaw enforcement agents this matter had travelled through with several millions of Naira he and his co-travellers in this fraudulent dealings have stolen from our clients.
“We urge you sir, to use the machinery of your good office to take-over the prosecution of this case to save our clients from this their prolonged suffering in the hands of these fraudulent individuals.”
