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Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency has arrested a prominent female property agent in connection with a multi-million Naira scam involving a luxury villa in the nation’s capital.

Operatives from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) apprehended Hajia Adama Adamu following a formal petition by a businessman who claimed he was swindled out of 288 million Naira ($220,000 / £140,000).

The suspect is alleged to have posed as a legitimate intermediary for the sale of a high-end property located on Haile Selassie Street in Asokoro—one of Abuja’s most exclusive diplomatic enclaves.

The ‘Asokoro’ Trap

According to the EFCC’s Ilorin Zonal Directorate, the complainant, Tanko Yawale, paid the full sum under the impression that he was securing a prime piece of real estate.

However, investigators say that once the funds were transferred, the documentation failed to materialise. “Following the payment, Hajia Adamu allegedly failed to provide valid documents and subsequently became evasive,” the commission said in a statement on Wednesday.

A recurring crisis

Property-related fraud has become a systemic issue in Nigeria’s rapidly expanding real estate sector. In cities like Abuja and Lagos, “ghost agents” frequently exploit the lack of a centralised, digital land registry to sell the same plot of land or house to multiple unsuspecting buyers.

The EFCC has recently intensified its crackdown on “land-grabbing” and housing scams, which officials say are often used to launder illicit funds or defraud members of the Nigerian diaspora looking to invest back home.

Analysis: The ‘Due Diligence’ Gap

The Asokoro district is home to presidential aides, international embassies, and billionaires. The fact that a fraud of this magnitude could be attempted in such a high-security area highlights the sophistication of Nigeria’s “property cartels.”

For international investors and the Nigerian middle class, the arrest serves as a grim reminder of the “due diligence” gap. Despite the EFCC’s warnings to verify all titles with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) before payment, the allure of “off-market” deals continues to provide a fertile ground for fraudsters.