Azeez Tijani, a Nigerian Army Major, has been caught in a land fraud scandal that has gone on for about three years now, according to SaharaReporters.

It was learnt that Major Tijani allegedly sold land to one Olanrewaju in Iguomo community in Edo State in 2018 but failed to release the land documents to the buyer.

The victim narrated that instead, the army officer had been threatening his life and telling him to forget about the money and stay off the property – about 10 plots which he (Olanrewaju) used for farming.

Olanrewaju added that Tijani, who is attached to the Nigerian Army School of Education, Sobi Barracks, Ilorin, Kwara State, refused to honour the police invitation, saying he was not given a pass.

The victim said, “Sometime in 2018, I bought some plots of land from the man who claimed to be a Major. The moment he said he was a Major, I just trusted him. I did transfers to him in four tranches. I have been pursuing him since 2018 to get the documents of the land. I didn’t get any of those. Sometime in 2019, I went to his house.

“I got to his house and met his wife. I asked her, madam, what about your husband, she said he stepped out. He didn’t come back. So, I went to the community leader and told him my ordeal. He said for me to get the land papers, I had to buy the land again. I did.

“He gave me the documents covering eight plots of lands. I started struggling to get my money back from Major. He stopped answering my calls. He stopped replying to my messages. Each time, I called him, he would say, I should come and meet with him. But I feared for my safety because the land area is lonely.

“It is farmland. I know I have been swindled. He comes to the farm with service pistols. He is feared in the community. I have animals on the farm but I cannot go to the farm because his elder brother came and harassed me, saying I should never go to the farm.”

Olanrewaju also said that Major Tijani and some hoodlums demolished the perimeter fencing and the construction he had on the land.

“I went to the police station to file a complaint but he lied to the police that they did not give him a pass (at the barracks) and he could not come. The police operations commander told him to refund the money. He said his brother was sick and he promised to refund my money by March 15.

“I expect Tijani to refund the money and pay for the damages he has done on my land,” the victim lamented.

ToriNG