A real estate syndicate led by Lawrence Onwukwem and Isaiah Ijele is facing fresh allegations of fraud, theft and illegal evictions, even as members remain in hiding following an earlier conviction.
The group, also linked to Davies Ijele, Sodiq Kazeem and Peace Igbo, operates under Green Birch Tech Ltd, and is accused of deceiving unsuspecting Nigerians into renting properties it does not lawfully control.
In a new petition, a Lagos resident, Oyinkansola Talabi, alleged that the syndicate carried out a midnight invasion of her apartment at Pebblerock Apartments, Oniru, on February 6, 2026, describing the incident as “state-sponsored terror.”
In the petition addressed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu through the state Attorney-General, Talabi said the action violated a subsisting order of the Lagos State High Court in Suit No. LD10108GCM2025 dated December 3, 2025.
The allegation mirrors earlier complaints by residents of 16 three-bedroom apartments in Lekki Phase 1, who accused Green Birch of unlawful entry, theft, intimidation and threats to life.
The property, owned by RAO Investment Property Company Limited, has been the subject of a prolonged dispute following efforts to recover it from Green Birch, its former tenant. Despite a court ruling terminating the company’s tenancy, residents alleged that the firm resorted to harassment, including disconnection of water and electricity and intimidation by armed men.
A Lagos Chief Magistrates’ Court in Eti-Osa had sentenced Onwukwem, Ijele, Kazeem and Igbo to six months’ imprisonment for contempt of court, alongside a N250,000 fine each, after finding them guilty of forceful eviction and unlawful entry.
The charges, filed under MISC/MCE/07/2023 pursuant to the Lagos State Tenancy Law, detailed how the defendants allegedly broke into an apartment in Lekki, removed valuables and changed the locks without lawful authority while related suits were still pending.
Delivering judgment on June 5, 2025, Chief Magistrate Kikelomo Olaiya Doja-Ojo held that the defendants persistently flouted court orders.
However, records indicate that only Kazeem is currently serving his sentence at Ikoyi Correctional Centre, while others remain at large.
One victim alleged that the syndicate broke into an apartment during ongoing litigation, carted away items worth about N25 million and re-let the property to another tenant.
Sources familiar with the case also claim that Ijele, reportedly a publicity secretary of the Social Democratic Party in Kogi State, may have leveraged political connections to evade arrest, noting his recent public appearances promoting a civil society initiative.
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