The Nigeria Police Force Zone 2 Command, Onikan, Lagos State, has confirmed that it is investigating allegations of conspiracy, forgery, perjury, impersonation and malicious destruction of property arising from the controversial eviction of veteran Nigerian musician, Ms Uche Ibeto, popularly known as Jigida Queen, from her Surulere home.
In an official communication dated 3 February 2026, with reference number CB/7000/ZN.2/CID/D8b/VOL.28b/83, the office of the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2, disclosed that preliminary findings showed that a court judgment allegedly meant for a different property was used to evict occupants of Ibeto’s late mother’s residence at No. 36 Ibezim Obiajulu Street, off Masha Road, Surulere, Lagos.
The letter, signed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Fakeye O. Olubode on behalf of the Assistant Inspector General, stated that the petition was filed on 26 August 2025 by S O Onwubualili and Co on behalf of Ms Ibeto and her sister, Ifeoma Stella Ilodibe.
According to the petition, Ibeto’s elder sister, Laura Chinyelu Okoh, alongside property developer Cecil Ezem Osakwe, lawyers Victor Giwa and Kenneth Chiso Joshua of K C Joshua and Co, Ifeanyi Maxwell Okoh, Chinedu Asazu Okoh and others were accused of conspiracy, forgery, perjury, impersonation, wilful damage to property and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.
Police investigators said they found that Laura Okoh allegedly conspired with Osakwe, Giwa and others to use a court judgment meant for a property in Idimu, Agege area of Lagos State, to evict occupants of the Surulere property belonging to their late mother.
“Investigation revealed that the elder sister to the complainants, one Laura Chinyelu Okoh, conspired with one Cecil Ezem Osakwe, Victor Giwa, K C Joshua and Co and others to use a court judgment meant for a property at Idimu Town, Agege, Lagos State, to evict occupants of No. 36 Ibezim Obiajulu Street, off Masha Road, Surulere, Lagos, belonging to their late mother,” the police report stated.
The report further noted that the operation resulted in significant losses, adding that properties belonging to S O Onwubualili were damaged, while others were allegedly stolen during the eviction.
While confirming that the physical eviction had already taken place, the police said investigations were still ongoing into the alleged forged Letter of Administration and the purported court judgment used to carry out the eviction.
The development corroborates earlier media reports surrounding the controversial judgment delivered on 10 July 2025 in Suit No LD/9481GCM/2025, Cecil Ezem Osakwe versus Laura C Okoh and Ifeoma Stella Ilodibe, which granted possession and ownership of the Surulere property to Osakwe.
Ibeto, now in her seventies, was reportedly forcibly evicted from the one storey building where she said she lived with her late mother for more than 50 years.
She alleged that police officers, court sheriffs and hired thugs stormed the residence at about 6.00 am on 15 August 2025, threw out her belongings and sealed the building without serving her or her tenants with any court process.
“I woke up to see policemen and thugs invade my home. I was never served any court process,” she told reporter.
In petitions to the Chief Judge of Lagos State, the Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone 2, the National Judicial Council and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibeto accused Justice O O Adewumi Oshin of the Lagos State High Court of delivering what she described as a fraudulent judgment obtained through impersonation, false depositions and collusion with land grabbers.
She maintained that neither she nor her tenants were joined as parties in the suit before judgment was delivered, despite occupying the property for decades.
According to her, the property belonged to her late mother, who died intestate in 2013, leaving three children Laura Okoh, Ifeoma Stella Ilodibe and Uche Ibeto. She argued that the Letters of Administration granted to her two elder sisters covered only personal estate and excluded the Surulere property.
Ibeto further alleged irregularities in the court process, including falsified service of court documents, unauthorised affidavits and instances where the same counsel allegedly appeared to represent opposing parties.
Her legal representatives also accused a serving Deputy Inspector General of Police, Benjamin Okolo, of allegedly interfering with the Zone 2 Command’s investigation, a claim conveyed in a letter to the Inspector General of Police and the Police Service Commission dated 22 September.
Since the eviction, Ibeto said she has been displaced, faces health challenges and remains separated from her personal belongings, studio equipment, musical works and cash she estimated at over N500 million.
She welcomed the ongoing prosecution of Victor Giwa and Cecil Osakwe at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in an unrelated case involving alleged forgery, unlawful eviction and malicious damage to property belonging to an Abuja businesswoman.
While denying wrongdoing, Osakwe reportedly said he was willing to accept a refund, claiming he had not completed payment for the Surulere property and felt misled by the sellers.
Investigations into the Surulere eviction and the alleged use of forged court documents remain ongoing.
