Court Jails FHA Land Grabber Peter Obinwanne Over Forgery, Illegal Occupation
The High Court of Lagos State (Special Offences Court), sitting in Ikeja, has convicted Mr. Peter Obinwanne and his company, Petkev (Nig.) Ltd., over the forgery of title documents and the unlawful occupation of Federal Housing Authority (FHA) land in Lagos.
The judgment was delivered on Thursday, July 9, 2026, by Justice M. A. Dada, who found the defendants guilty on all nine counts bordering on conspiracy, forgery of title documents and criminal conversion of Federal Housing Authority land.
According to the judgment, Obinwanne, through his company, forged title documents in 2004 and unlawfully occupied a parcel of land allocated by the Federal Housing Authority to Elder Ogbogu Obumayi Kalu of AMSCO Nig. Ltd. The court held that the illegal occupation lasted for more than 20 years.
The prosecution followed an investigation by officers of the IGP Monitoring Team, during which officials of the Federal Housing Authority testified before the court.
Justice Dada sentenced Obinwanne to two years’ imprisonment on counts one and two, one year on count three, and three years each on counts four, five, six, seven, eight and nine. The sentences are to run concurrently, with an option of a ₦10 million fine in lieu of imprisonment.
The court also fined Petkev (Nig.) Ltd. ₦1 million on each of the nine counts, directing that the fines be paid within 30 days. It further ruled that failure to comply would result in the winding up of the company and the forfeiture of its assets to the Federal Government. The court also ordered the defendants to immediately vacate the property and restore possession to Elder Ogbogu O. Kalu.
Reacting to the judgment, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Umeh Kalu, of Seasons Law Firm, solicitors to Elder Ogbogu O. Kalu and AMSCO Nig. Ltd., commended the court for what he described as a well-delivered judgment.
He said, “The judgment is a clear testimony to the fact that no matter the antics and devices of deviants in our society, and the length of time for which they may last in their unlawful acts, the long arm of justice will definitely catch up with them.”
The senior lawyer also commended the police investigation team for what he described as a diligent investigation and praised the Legal Department of the Federal Housing Authority for standing by the truth in its testimony throughout the trial.
Also commenting on the judgment, the Managing Director of AMSCO Nig. Ltd., Mr. Okechukwu Kalu, described the verdict as “a great relief” to his 86-year-old father and Chairman of AMSCO Nig. Ltd., Elder Ogbogu O. Kalu, who, according to him, had waited patiently for more than two decades to obtain justice.
