Enugu / Awka — 17 September 2026
Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Basil Iwoba Ochili, managing director of Debasilio Construction and Estate Development Limited, over an alleged ₦128 million land scam.
Operatives from the commission’s Enugu Zonal Directorate took Ochili into custody after a petition alleged that he used the company to obtain money by false pretences. The commission said the complainant claimed that in September 2022 Ochili presented himself as the owner of five plots of land beside the Anambra State Secretariat, near Stamford Hotel at Aroma Junction in Awka, and offered the plots for sale.
Relying on that representation, the buyer paid ₦128 million into the company’s account. He was later unable to take possession of the land.
Preliminary inquiries, the EFCC said, indicated that Ochili knew the plots encroached on land belonging to the Anambra State Government Secretariat but proceeded with the sale. When pressed for a refund, he allegedly issued two dud cheques rather than return the money. Investigators also alleged that part of the proceeds was used to settle debts, and that Debasilio Construction and Estate Development Limited has never been tax-compliant.
The commission said Ochili would be charged to court once investigations are concluded. He has not yet been arraigned, and the allegations remain unproven in court.
Land disputes and alleged fraudulent sales of government or contested plots have been a recurring source of petitions to the EFCC’s south-east offices. The Enugu zone handles cases from Enugu and neighbouring states, including Anambra. The commission did not name the complainant or release further details of the company’s other activities.
Ochili is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless and until convicted.
By A. Ikechukwu (Crime Correspondent)
