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Land Fraud Showdown: Maxwell Okpara & the Yesufu Clan Slam EFCC as Public Sympathy Shifts Toward Dr Mrs Rebecca Omokamo Godwin-Isaac

Published

3 months ago

July 21, 2025

Joel Ajayi

ABUJA, July 21, 2025 A seismic shift is unfolding in Nigeria’s land fraud saga: civil society agitator Maxwell Chibuike Okpara, 79-year-old Colleen Mero Yesufu, and the Yesufu family have launched a smear crusade that is unraveling under the weight of facts. Once presented as defenders of justice, they are now under fire for manipulating public institutions, deploying emotion in place of evidence, and undermining the legal process for personal gain.

Legal experts and concerned Nigerians are questioning whether Okpara was hired by the Yesufu family specifically to conduct unethical public campaigns on their behalf.

Despite holding no legal brief in either the criminal or civil proceedings, Okpara has positioned himself as a spokesperson for the family.

He has given press conferences calling for enforcement of a forfeiture order — a forfeiture that had already been dismissed by the courts and withdrawn by the EFCC.

For a lawyer of his standing to either be unaware of this or to knowingly mislead the public raises serious professional concerns.

Observers now ask: What is Maxwell Okpara’s real interest in this matter? He is not a lawyer on record. He has no place in either proceeding. Yet he has aggressively inserted himself into an ongoing legal dispute — disregarding due process, court rulings, and ethical boundaries. Many in the legal community are stunned that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has not sanctioned him. His repeated public outbursts, defamatory remarks about law enforcement, and misuse of civil society platforms suggest a pattern of conduct that risks embarrassing the entire legal profession.

Some have gone further, calling him a legal tout and political scoundrel — hired to “undo” a case that is already before the courts. If Okpara truly believes in the rule of law, then he should submit to it, not defy it in public squares.

His conduct begs the question: Why has he not been arrested by the Nigerian police for openly defaming the Inspector General and fabricating claims? Civil society groups are free to advocate for transparency, but they must present facts — not fiction — and not act as mercenaries for private interests.

Civic Group Demands Justice — Or Else
At a thunderous press briefing Thursday, Okpara—frontman for INAHURAT—accused the EFCC and Nigerian police of deliberately stalling enforcement of a Federal High Court interim forfeiture order for Guzape Plot 4022 and Katampe Plots 1861–63, originally tied to 79-year-old widow Colleen Mero Yesufu. These allegations are contained in a Daily Post exposé that has rocked institutional trust.

(TheNigeriaLawyer, Daily Post Nigeria)
Meanwhile, civil liberty watchdogs observe that Maxwell Okpara and the Yesufu clan could be using political muscle, not evidence, to pressure enforcement agencies. Their relentless accusations—launched precisely when the courts have become inconvenient—raise more questions than answers.

The Tide Turns in Public Opinion
Nigeria’s silent majority is now tuning in to the argument of power over principle.

As observers quietly ask: If Okpara and the Yesufu family were so confident in their claims, why are they now crying foul when the EFCC stalls enforcement?—onlookers see a pattern suggesting they want results, fast, regardless of facts.

Meanwhile, Dr Rebecca Omokamo Godwin-Isaac and her husband Isaac Yusuf stand firmly on documented transactions: verified payments, registered titles, and full cooperation with the ICPC, FCTA, EFCC, and police. Yet, their company Homadil Realty was hit hardest—projects frozen, reputations tarnished, and media trials launched on allegations now under scrutiny.
(Premium Times Nigeria)

Civil‐Liberty Groups Challenge EFCC Motives
Independent rights monitors are now questioning whether the EFCC bowed to public pressure or was manoeuvred by political narratives. CHRICED, another respected watchdog, has publicly expressed alarm over “police complicity” in shielding suspect parties and the EFCC’s refusal to act on court-ordered forfeiture — a forfeiture which, notably, has already been dismissed by the court and withdrawn by the EFCC, raising even more questions about the accuracy of their ongoing advocacy.
(CHRICED)
In a headline moment, one prominent civic leader told reporters, “The true victim in this case may be the rule of law itself.” Critics argue that the EFCC faces a critical test: enforce the law impartially, or risk becoming a vessel for manipulation.

From Victim to Victor
For Ambassador Rebecca Omokamo Godwin-Isaac, her husband Engineer Isaac Ishaku Yusuf, and Homadil Realty Limited, this delay in the EFCC’s case isn’t just procedural — it’s vindication. Having pledged full transparency, submitted to questioning, and honoured every court order, they’ve stood as pillars of honesty. The moment Maxwell Okpara’s INAHURAT and the Yesufu family began demanding action, the minute justice seemed inconvenient, public trust cracked.

What’s Next?
The spotlight now turns to the judiciary and anti-graft bodies. The public must now ask: Why is the EFCC being pressured to enforce a forfeiture order that has already been dismissed by the court and withdrawn by the Commission itself? Will the police, who have been accused of complicity, be swayed by political pressure rather than guided by the facts and legal rulings? And will Maxwell Okpara, Colleen Mero, and kin answer hard questions about the timing and basis of their campaign?

One thing is clear: public sympathy is turning sharply toward Ambassador Rebecca Omokamo Godwin-Isaac, her husband Engineer Isaac Ishaku Yusuf,Homadil Realty Limited, seen now as the wrongfully accused who followed the law.

Bottom Line
• Maxwell Okpara and the Yesufu family appear to be weaponizing emotion and influence, not judicial proof.

• Their camp’s sudden pivot from aggressive accusations to calling out the EFCC signals alarm—not integrity.

• Meanwhile, Ambassador Rebecca Omokamo Godwin-Isaac, her husband Engineer Isaac Ishaku Yusuf, and their company Homadil Realty Limited, once under siege, are now poised to emerge vindicated, their case strengthened by patience and process.

The real question now: Will Nigeria’s legal guardians uphold the law or be swayed by political drama?

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News

Tin City Warms Up for President Tinubu as North Central Embraces Renewed Hope

Published

1 day ago

October 4, 2025

The Gleamer

By Sunday Dare

When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu berths on the plains and rolling hills that dominate the Jos landscape tomorrow, he will meet a people resourceful, friendly and resilient but weighed down by conflict, yet unbowed by adversity.

So, tommorrow, national attention turns to the Plateau- a locale laden with history and rich with potential. From the tin mines that gave the city of Jos its name, to the Irish potato, strawberry farms and beetroot plantations that dot its landscape, Jos remains a land of promise—truly the Home of Peace and Tourism.

Jos is also deeply woven into Nigeria’s political history. Plateau is home to towering figures such as Generals JD Gomwalk, Yakubu Gowon, John Shagaya, Joshua Dogoyaro, and Jerry Useni. Solomon Lar, Senator Ibrahim Mantu and numerous others also stand tall in the annals Plateau political history.

Jos was also the rallying ground of the famed Langtang Mafia—a group of influential military officers from Langtang in Plateau State who, at the height of their power, played a significant role in Nigeria’s political and military affairs.

The story of Jos is both exciting and excruciating. The city lost its innocence some two and a half decades ago, when the popular Terminus Market was reduced to rubble through acts of arson and looting.

Thus at the turn of the millennium by 2001, Jos—and by extension, Plateau—was thrown into a cycle of unending conflict. Ethnic tensions, clothed in religious garb, tore through the city and spread across the state, dragging Jos into an abyss of violence, almost of Kigali proportions. Peace gave way to war, and tourism jaunts became undertakings to the undertaker.

Yet Jos has never surrendered. Every time it is written off, it rises again—scarred, but resilient. With its multi-ethnic, multi-religious fabric, the Plateau continues to trudge on in pursuit of peace, development, and egalitarian ideals.

It was here, in Jos, that Nigeria’s democratic resurgence was birthed. The historic SDP convention, where late General Shehu Yar’Adua and Chief Moshood Abiola held sway, took place in this city. Jos gave political life to Abiola, our hero of democracy in 1992

Now, thirty three years later, another hero of democracy and of the June 12 struggle returns to the Plateau. President Tinubu’s return and visit to Plateau State is not just to honor the transition to glory of Nana Lydia Yilwatda, the mother of the APC National Chairman.

It is a visit that carries deeper meaning—one of empathy, solidarity, and renewed hope for a people who have endured decades of turmoil. It is a mission to preach peace, console the bereaved, bind wounds, and assure Plateau of its central place in the Nigerian project.

Mr President comes not just to mourn, but to reconnect. He comes to parley with the North Central, to commiserate with a people who have suffered, and to extend the hand of renewed hope. That Renewed Hope is laying a solid foundation as evidenced by Naira at N1,455 per dollar, rising Foreign Reserves at $43bn, Trade surplus heading for N25tr. Revenues up 411% and Inflation down to about 20 per cent. Over 600,000 students benefiting from NELFUND.

This visit is more than ceremonial. It is a journey into the very soul of a people who have known pain, yet remain resilient; a land scarred by conflict, yet still brimming with hope and promise. As the Tin City opens its arms, Jos will not just receive the President—it will receive a message of solidarity, healing, and renewal.

Tomorrow is about remembering the glorious past, confronting the present, and charting a path to a peaceful and prosperous Plateau within a united Nigeria. With President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Jos once again stands at the intersection of history and destiny.

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