A Lagos court has jailed a couple, Harry Uyanwanne and Oluwakemi Odia, for 14 years each over a ₦67.6m estate property fraud.
Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja has sentenced a man identified as Harry Uyanwanne and his wife, Oluwakemi Odia, who is also known as Kristein Uyanwanne, to 14 years’ imprisonment each for participating in a ₦67,659,592 property fraud scheme.
The legal matter involved a valuable land property that belonged to the rightful beneficiaries of the estate of the late Dr. Moshood Babatunde Odemuyiwa.
The final court judgment was delivered on Monday, November 2, 2026, by presiding judge Justice Mojisola Dada after the court reviewed all submitted evidence and found the couple guilty of criminal conspiracy, stealing, and obtaining money through false claims.
Alongside the jail term, the judge directed the couple to make a full refund of ₦67,659,592 directly to the petitioner, Olusola Odemuyiwa.
The criminal case was formally investigated and brought before the court by prosecutors from the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The anti-graft agency filed four criminal counts against the couple, covering conspiracy, stealing, obtaining money under false pretences, and forgery. However, the court cleared and discharged both defendants on the fourth count of forgery.
According to facts presented during the trial, the couple secretly sold a property located at No. 19, Murtala Mohammed Way, Ebute Meta, Oyingbo, Lagos, to an individual named Harry Dyawanne for the sum of ₦16 million back in 2010.
The EFCC explained that the couple told the buyer that the true owners and beneficiaries of the late doctor’s estate gave them full permission to sell the building, knowing very well that the statement was completely false.
The law enforcement agency maintained that the couple conspired together to dishonestly take the estate property, which goes directly against Section 285(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011, and used deceptive stories to collect money from unsuspecting buyers.
When they were first brought to court for arraignment, both defendants claimed they were innocent and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
To prove the case during trial proceedings, EFCC prosecution lawyer Fadeke Giwa brought three witnesses to speak in court and submitted several official documents as evidence, while the defense team presented one witness to speak for the accused couple.
After carefully evaluating all the statements and documents presented by both sides, Justice Mojisola Dada ruled that the EFCC prosecution team had successfully proved its allegations beyond any reasonable doubt.
The judge handed down a sentence of three years in prison for conspiracy, one year for stealing, and ten years for obtaining money through false representation, without giving any option to pay a fine, making a total of 14 years for each person.
However, the judge ordered that the prison sentence for the first defendant, Harry Uyanwanne, will be suspended until security officers formally arrest him.
The court confirmed that both individuals stand cleared of the fourth count of forgery while they face their respective jail terms for the remaining charges.
Jennifer Baba is a journalist, international news correspondent, and writer at Moderncrux, where she covers artificial intelligence, fintech, emerging technologies, global politics, and international affairs. Based in Nigeria, she is passionate about transforming complex global developments into clear, engaging stories that inform and inspire readers.
