Secrets Reporters
The integrity of land administration in Ogun State has come under renewed scrutiny following allegations that forged Certificates of Occupancy and irregular survey documents were used in high-value transactions involving parcels at Ibogun, Patako/Olorunsogo and Ishoko Village in Ifo Local Government Area. At the centre of the storm is Surv.
Oladele Ewulo, Surveyor-General of the Bureau of Lands and Survey, whose office is constitutionally and administratively responsible for the authenticity of survey plans and the processing of title documents under the Land Use Act Cap L5 LFN 2004 and related state regulations.
According to detailed petitions submitted by solicitors for Ms Flora Dupe Ajayi, obtained by SecretsReporters, her project manager Musa Audu collected millions of naira specifically earmarked for survey plans and Certificate of Occupancy processing.
For the five-acre parcel at Ibogun, ₦1.4 million was paid for a survey plan whose actual cost was later said to be ₦1 million, yet the document was not delivered. A further ₦4 million was collected for C of O processing; the document eventually presented was alleged to be forged, together with accompanying receipts. Similar discrepancies were reported in relation to the larger fifty-acre parcels.
Provisional offers of allocation later issued by the Bureau of Lands and Survey in April 2026, carrying His Excellency Prince Dapo Abiodun’s approval and demanding premiums exceeding ₦1.16 billion for each of two commercial sites at Patako, stand in stark contrast to the earlier private purchases and the disputed documents.
Surveyor Azeez Salami was named in the petitions as one of the professionals involved in the transactions and was among those invited for interrogation at Ibogun and Eleweran. The Surveyor-General’s office is the ultimate custodian of survey standards and the final authority for authenticating plans used in the issuance of Certificates of Occupancy.
When forged or irregular documents enter circulation and are relied upon by private citizens transferring large sums, questions inevitably arise about internal controls, verification protocols and the possibility of collusion or negligence within the system supervised by the Surveyor-General.
Ogun State has in recent years invested in digitisation through the Ogun Land Administration Management System and has publicly emphasised the need for integrity in land documentation. Surv. Oladele Ewulo has himself spoken of the importance of technology in streamlining processes and reducing opportunities for fraud.
The allegations contained in the 2025 petitions, that substantial sums were paid for surveys and titles that either never materialised or proved to be fake, directly challenge the effectiveness of those safeguards. Until the Bureau produces clear evidence that the disputed documents were never issued under its authority, or that robust investigation and sanctions followed their discovery, the office of the Surveyor-General remains implicated in the chain of events that left a private investor unable to secure valid title or peaceful possession of land for which she had paid.
