Police investigators alleged that occupants of the Surulere property belonging to the family's late matriarch were evicted under controversial circumstances.
The Nigeria Police Force has confirmed ongoing investigations into allegations of conspiracy, forgery, perjury, impersonation, and malicious destruction of property in the controversial eviction of veteran Nigerian musician Uche Ibeto, popularly known as "Jigida Queen," from her Surulere home.
In a letter dated 3 February obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, the office of the Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) of Police, Zone 2, disclosed that preliminary findings indicate a court judgement intended for a different property was allegedly used to evict occupants of the late Mrs Ibeto's Surulere residence at No. 36, Ibezim Obiajulu Street, Off Marsha Road, Lagos.
The correspondence with reference number CB/7000/ZN.2/CID/D8b/VOL.28b/83, signed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Fakeye Olubode on behalf of the AIG, confirmed that the petition was filed on 26 August 2025 by S.O. Onwubualili & Co., on behalf of Ms Ibeto and her sister, Ifeoma Ilodibe.
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The petition accused Laura Okoh -- Ibeto's elder sister -- alongside Cecil Osakwe, lawyers Victor Giwa and Kenneth Chiso Joshua of KC Joshua & Co., Ifeanyi Maxwell Okoh, Chinedu Asazu (Okoh), and others of conspiracy, forgery, perjury, impersonation, wilful property damage, and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.
Alleged misuse of court judgement
The police report on the matter seen by our reporter alleged that Mrs Okoh conspired with Messrs Osakwe, Giwa, and others to use a court judgement meant for a property at No. 28/28/1994E, Idimu Town, Agege, Lagos State, to evict occupants of the Surulere property belonging to their late mother.
"Investigation revealed that the elder sister to the complainants, one Laura Chinyelu Okoh, conspired with one Cecil Ezem Osakwe, Victor Giwa, K.C. Joshua & Co. and others to use a court judgment meant for a property at No. 28/28/1994E, Idimu Town, Agege, Lagos State, and used same to evict the occupants of No. 36, Ibezim Obiajulu Street, Off Marsha Road, Surulere, Lagos," the police report stated.
The report further confirmed the devastating impact of the eviction, noting: "As a result, properties of one S.O. Onwubualili got damaged and some were stolen."
While the physical eviction has been executed, the criminal aspects of the documentation remain under investigation.
"Investigation into the alleged forged Letter of Administration and the purported court judgment used to evict the complainants and their tenants is still ongoing," Mr Olubode noted.
Mr Giwa, the lawyer whose client bought the property, denied any wrongdoing in the sale of the Surulere property.
In November 2025, the lawyer said his client, Mr Osakwe, purchased the property from Ifeanyi Maxwell Okoh, a grandson of the late Mrs Ibeto and son of Mrs Okoh, one of the estate administrators.
According to him, Mrs Okoh, as the eldest child and head of the family, acted within her legal authority and had the backing of Mrs Ilodibe, whom he claimed authorised her to deal with the property.
He described the judgement that led to the eviction as a consent judgment and dismissed the dispute as an attempt to blackmail him.
Mrs Okoh, one of Ms Ibeto's sisters, declined comment when contacted in November last year, citing ongoing legal proceedings.
But her other sister, Mrs Ilodibe, contacted about the same time last year, shared a letter to the Zone 2 Police Command dated 15 September, denying consent to the sale of the property.
She said she was unaware of any agreement or court proceedings and did not authorise any lawyer to act on her behalf.
She urged the police to investigate the eviction, restore the property, and prosecute anyone found culpable.
Meanwhile, Mr Osakwe, the buyer, also told PREMIUM TIMES in November 2025 via WhatsApp call that he had only made part payment for the property and was willing to request a refund due to the controversy surrounding the transaction, stating that he felt misled.
Background
PREMIUM TIMES had previously reported that Ms Ibeto petitioned both the police and the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), alleging that she was unlawfully evicted on 15 August 2025.
The eviction followed a Lagos State High Court judgement delivered on 10 July 2025 in Suit No: LD/9481GCM/2025 -- Cecil Ezem Osakwe v. Laura C. Okoh & Ifeoma Stella Ilodibe.
Ms Ibeto, now in her 70s, alleged that she was forcibly evicted from the one-storey building where she had lived with her late mother for more than 50 years.
She claimed that police officers, court sheriffs, and hired thugs stormed the residence at about 6:00 a.m. on 15 August 2025, threw out her belongings, and sealed the building without prior notice to her or her tenants.
In petitions to the Chief Judge of Lagos State and the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, Ms Ibeto alleged that the judgement was obtained through "fraudulent means, impersonation and false depositions."
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Ms Ibeto alleged officials' collusion with land grabbers and lawyers to dispossess her of her late mother's property.
She maintained that neither she nor her tenants were joined as parties in the suit before the judgment was delivered.
Family dispute
The Surulere property originally belonged to Ms Ibeto's late mother, who died intestate in 2013, leaving three children -- Laura Okoh, Ifeoma Stella Ilodibe, and Uche Ibeto.
Ms Ibeto said a Letter of Administration granted to her two elder sisters covered only personal estate and excluded the Surulere property.
But Mr Osakwe claimed to have purchased the property from the estate administrators and secured judgement for possession within what Ms Ibeto described as a suspiciously short period.
She further alleged irregularities in court processes, including claims that the same counsel appeared to represent opposing parties, that service of court documents was falsified, and that affidavits were filed without authorisation.
The police have said their investigations into the alleged forgery of the Letter of Administration and the judgement documents are ongoing. No individual has been formally charged in connection with the eviction as of the time of filing this report.
