BREAKING: Nigeria Anti-Corruption Body, EFCC Arrests Abuja Land-grabber, Stephen Achema Over N500Million Fraud

Nigeria’s anti-corruption body, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested one Stephen Achema Akpa, the Chief Executive of Zoe New Dawn Nigeria Limited, for alleged N500 million land fraud.

Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, said in a statement on Monday that Akpa was first arrested by the commission on December 2, 2022, but jumped bail. 

The EFCC said Akpa was arrested at his office in the Idu axis of Abuja, following a petition alleging that he obtained the sum of N500 million under false pretence.

“He was to be arraigned on a five-count charge when he jumped the administrative bail offered by the commission.

“All efforts to apprehend proved futile until August 9, 2023, when he was re-arrested.

“He will soon be arraigned in court,” the EFCC said. 

SaharaReporters had exclusively reported how Akpa allegedly connived with top officials of the Development Control, Abuja Geographical Information System (AGIS) and police officers to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians to the tune of N5 billion in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

He was said to specialise in land racketeering by bribing officials of relevant government authorities to acquire unallocated land and fraudulently sell the land to multiple buyers.

SaharaReporters learnt that Akpa bragged that he had the former Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba Usman, and other police chiefs in his pocket and therefore would never be prosecuted.

SaharaReporters learnt that he unleashed terror on innocent people at the slightest provocation arising from business transactions using thugs and policemen illegally attached to him by top police officers who shielded him from prosecution.

He was also alleged to have defrauded widows, civil servants, and traders along with a popular pastor in Abuja, said to have been defrauded of $800,000.

It was learnt that the pastor had offered to buy a plot of land in Kukuwaba District.

Findings revealed that Akpa bribed the officials of Development Control and AGIS to acquire land at Kukuwaba District in the FCT, which was originally designed for Golf Resort in the Abuja master plan. 

A source who spoke to SaharaReporters about the shady deals of Achama said the land was originally allocated to the former Senate President, David Mark to use it for a golf resort but Akpa connived with relevant government agencies and converted the land to a residential area in contravention to the plan.

But following the building of structures in the area by Zoe New Dawn, the development control agency moved in bulldozers and demolished part of the buildings in the area as a strategy by the officials to strike a deal and negotiate with Akpa for their cut.

It was gathered that in the process of negotiation, a new deal was struck between Akpa and top officials of the development control agency for the conversion and extension of the land without any formal approval from the FCT minister.