In this report, EDIDIONG IKPOTO writes on how fraudulent property developers who masquerade as legitimate estate agents defraud unsuspecting house seekers
A 34-year-old software developer, Abiodun Oguntade, who now lives in Mende, Maryland, recently fell prey to the antics of a fraudulent property developer.
Oguntade stated that the developer took advantage of his naivety to swindle him of a N300,000 down payment for a one-bedroom flat he had hoped to rent in the Gbagada area of Lagos.
But he is not the only Lagos resident to have swallowed this bitter pill. In fact, when the victims of such scams tell their stories, Oguntade will stand behind a long line of people who have lost twice or thrice as much as he lost to fraudulent developers.
Only last month, a suspected fake developer, Ahmed Ayinde, was arrested by men of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly defrauding no fewer than 100 prospective tenants in the Olowo Ira area of the state.
The PUNCH gathered that the victims paid for different flats in a one-storey building on No 5, Ayedun Street, Olowo Ira, being developed by Ayinde.
After receiving payments, it was learnt that Ayinde and his accomplices told the prospective tenants that they needed some time to complete renovation works on the building.
It was agreed that after the renovation was completed, keys to the respective flats would be handed over to the tenants.
However, drama started when efforts by some of the prospective…
