Regina Eke, a Calabar-based events manager, has recounted how James Amah, a surveyor with the Rivers State Ministry of Land and Survey, defrauded her of what is now worth over N2 million.

Eke told FIJ that she paid Amah N750,000 in 2009 after an acquaintance introduced him to her as a state surveyor who had some plots of land to sell.

She said she suspected foul play not long after Amah gave her a plot of land at Rumouse in Port Harcourt.

“Before I could survey the piece of land, I saw another structure on the same piece of land he sold to me,” Eke told FIJ.

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“I called him to ask why someone else was on the same land as mine, but he said he was sorry and promised to give me another piece of land. He later gave me another plot of land beside the one he initially sold to me. I had to pay another person to survey it for N50,000.”

Eke said she paid some bricklayers N250,000 to fence the piece of land but two years after that, the Rivers State Government came to the area and demolished the fence, including every building close to it.

The events manager said she realised that Amah sold the land to her and many others despite knowing that the land belonged to the state government.

She said she confronted him after the government seized the land, but he assured her that he would give her another piece of land elsewhere.

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“After some years, he took me to another place and showed me a piece of land. As I inquired to avoid issues, I discovered that the land belonged to a community that had ongoing issues because of the land,” she said.

“The man is a 419. He does this as his business. Since 2009, he has yet to refund my money. He keeps telling me every year he will refund my money.”

Eke said that she called him in April to request her money, but he promised her that he would pay her N2.6 million.

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She said she waited till April ended, but Amah sent nothing to her.

“He does not want to give me either my money or land. He should give me the current money they pay for land in Rumuose,” Eke stated.

When FIJ called Amah via his phone number, he said he was taking steps to refund Eke’s money. He stated that after the state government demolished the land in 2011, he expected them to compensate the landowners in the area, but they never did.

“She is a good and kind person. If everything goes well, I will pay her this Thursday,” he remarked.