I don’t usually handle criminal cases; the reason is not far-fetched. If you have ever dealt with the Nigeria Police, you would understand why. However, a close friend asked me to represent his cousin in a criminal matter, leading me to the Police Command.

My case took me to the Police Command Headquarters in Garki Abuja. Even though I thought the case would be a quick one to resolve, this wasn’t the case. The police are skilful in making matters more complex. I ended up visiting the Police Command regularly and quickly familiarized myself with the activities of the police personnel in charge of investigations. It was fun spending the whole day with the police. I was able to garner the following from my interaction.

People are susceptible

Even the most overused scams are still very effective. It seems people never learn. I was surprised to hear stories of people who fell victim to basic investment scams. The most popular was the loan scam. This is where you are told you have been approved for a loan, but you need to facilitate it with a bit of money upfront. One man who came with his lawyer had lost millions of naira and had handed off his title documents to scammers. It was a sad situation; the police offered to trace and find the perpetrator  

Real Estate problems

The bliss that comes with owning your home has driven many people into the hands of incompetent and outright fraudulent real estate companies and agents. Purchasing a property is already difficult as it is but with the advent of all the new real estate companies, it has become the wild west. A  lot of people fell victim to fraudulent companies and agents who took money from victims and didn’t provide any land or house. The sad situation is that in most cases, the victims are made to sign horrible agreements that put them at a disadvantage when trying to retrieve their invested funds.

My take

Sometimes it is not the victims’ fault. They are neither greedy nor stupid. However, we need to be more careful. Always seek professional help when dealing with real estate purchases. And in many cases, seek a second opinion before proceeding. Nigeria is a very complex society and there seem to be more wolfs than sheep out there.