Enugu land row: investor sues ex-governor Jim Nwobodo over demolished buildings
Written on
A Lagos-based investor, Dr Basil Ogbuanu, is seeking N5 billion in damages after buildings he was erecting in Enugu's Independence Layout were demolished, while Senator Jim Nwobodo and his wife deny wrongdoing and say they are ready to refund his money.
A land transaction in Enugu has turned into a multi-front legal battle pitting a Lagos-based investor against former governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo, and his wife Patricia, over plots in the Independence Layout that the investor says he bought and on which he was building before the structures were pulled down. Dr Basil Kenechukwu Ogbuanu says he financed the project with a N1 billion investment loan obtained in 2019 from a firm in which he is a shareholder, intending the development to support his retirement.
According to the account published by THISDAY, the land was originally allocated to Linkana Hotels Limited by the then Anambra State government in 1979, with a certificate of occupancy registered as No. 27/27/1038 dated July 6, 1979, and was later parcelled into 22 plots. Ogbuanu says he bought Plot S/10 and later two additional plots, R/20 and R/21, receiving receipts issued by Linkana Hotels, and paid into the company's Access Bank account.
The dispute escalated on January 16, 2026, when Mrs Nwobodo visited the estate for what she described as tree planting and subsequently reported that she had been confined. Three building artisans working for Ogbuanu were arrested, and Ogbuanu himself was arrested at Enugu Airport on his way back to Lagos. They were arraigned on a four-count charge including unlawfully confining Mrs Nwobodo against her will. The suit was struck out on April 21, 2026 by a Chief Magistrate Court in Enugu South, and the report says Mrs Nwobodo was fined N1 million.
Buildings Ogbuanu had erected, some close to completion, were afterwards demolished with earthmoving equipment, and he alleges the police were "procured" to supervise the demolition. He has filed suit No. E/328/2026 at an Enugu High Court seeking N5 billion in compensation from the Nwobodos for the destroyed buildings and stored materials. The couple have filed a counter-suit, No. E/244/2025, claiming N1.25 billion in general damages and medical expenses, and asking the court to declare that there is no valid sale and to compel him to collect the purchase money.
Senator Nwobodo says the land title required recertification and that buyers, including Ogbuanu, were told approvals from the relevant ministries were needed before construction. "Whoever knows Basil Ogbuanu should tell him that I'm prepared to give him back his money, even if it is in public. Let him come and collect his money," he said in a media interaction, adding that he regretted entering the transaction. Ogbuanu rejects a refund, arguing the receipts evidence a sale agreement and that he is a bona fide purchaser of plots R/18, R/19, R/20 and R/21.
The investor has also petitioned the Nigerian Bar Association over Mrs Nwobodo's conduct as a legal practitioner, alleging land fraud and misrepresentation and pointing to a transfer of Plot S/10 to Moss Island Limited, a company he says records show was registered in 1998 with Mrs Nwobodo and two of her children as directors. In her reply, Mrs Nwobodo denied all the allegations and said both Linkana Hotels and Moss Island are owned by her and her husband, adding that the power of attorney given to Ogbuanu was to help him process a bank loan pending the conclusion of the Moss Island certificate of occupancy.