BREAKING: Nigerian Woman Illegally Arrested After Reporting Multi-Million Naira Land Fraud To Police Dies In Custody

Mrs. Uju Ezeobi, a complainant of a multi-million-naira land scam involving one Mrs Nkiruka Duru has been allegedly tortured to death while in custody at Nigeria Police Zonal Headquarters (Zone 13), Ukpo, Anambra State.

Uju’s death is coming few hours after her legal representatives led by Okolo Ejike Esq petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun over alleged inhumane treatment against her.

The petition had detailed how certain officers, led by SP Utazi, had been working in collaboration with Duru and her associates to intimidate and detain the complainant unjustly.

“She is dead, she’s the complainant against a suspect, Mrs Nkiruka Duru, who is facing trial over a multi-million-naira land scam. Duru has finally succeeded in using the instruments of Police to kill Mrs Uju Ezeobi at Zone 13,” a source said.

SaharaReporters learnt that the case dated back to 2021 when Mrs Duru, the president of the United Business Women Association, allegedly lured investors into purchasing land in Achala.

She reportedly assured them that her organisation had secured virgin plots for sale at competitive prices.

Trusting her credibility, the deceased facilitated the sale, attracting numerous buyers who collectively contributed over N200 million.

However, instead of delivering the promised land, Duru allegedly diverted the funds for personal gain, leaving investors defrauded.

After multiple failed attempts to settle the matter amicably, the late Ezeobi petitioned the Inspector General of Police.

The case was subsequently handled by the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID) in Abuja, resulting in formal charges against Duru.

Despite the case advancing to court, recent reports suggest that Duru and her alleged accomplices had been attempting to manipulate the legal process.

Following a shake-up within the police force that led to the transfer of officers initially handling the case, Duru reportedly leveraged her wealth and influence to have the matter reassigned to Zone 13, Ukpo, where she could control the investigation.

On March 24, 2025, in what has been described as a "commando-style" operation, Mrs. Ezeobi was arrested in Asaba by SP Utazi and his team without prior notice or summons.

She was transported to Zone 13, where she remained in police custody overnight, an act her lawyers have condemned as unlawful.

Shockingly, videos and pictures of her detention were widely circulated on social media platforms linked to Duru.

Rather than conducting an independent investigation, the police personnel at Zone 13 however allowed Duru to dictate proceedings in direct contravention of a directive (SIGNAL CB;4001/IGP.SEC/ABJ/VOL.12/48 DTO;211340/11/2024) from the Inspector General of Police, which forbids the takeover of cases already being handled by another police formation.

Furthermore, the complainant's legal team asserts that there is a calculated effort to detain the late Ezeobi indefinitely by filing trumped-up charges against her.

They claim that the accused, in collaboration with police officers, is using intimidation tactics to ensure that the case file does not return to the DIG FCIID for proper prosecution.

“We have been consulted and our professional services retained by Mrs. Uju Ezeobi, hereinafter referred to as 'Our Client,' on whose instruction we write this petition,” a petition by the deceased lawyer days before her death had read.

“Sir, permit us to provide you with a brief historical background of the facts that led to this petition. One Mrs. Nkiruka Duru (the suspect in this case before the DIG FCIID) is the president of the United Business Women Association, a non-governmental platform that she owns and manages herself.

“It is our instruction that sometime around 2021, the said Nkiruka Duru contacted our client, claiming that her foundation was offering good virgin flat land in Achala for sale. Our client was advised to use her influence to help the foundation find buyers and subscribers for the land, which Duru assured would be sold and delivered without any issues at a fair price.

“Our client enthusiastically accepted the task and successfully attracted a large number of subscribers who, through her, purchased land under the Association's name. A total of 2,000 plots of land were budgeted for, and over 200 million naira was contributed and paid through the Association’s account, with the exclusive intent of securing the land. However, Nkiruka Duru allegedly absconded with the funds and diverted the money to buy clothes instead of purchasing the land.

“Efforts to resolve the matter amicably proved abortive, prompting our client to petition the Inspector General of Police, who transferred the case to the office of the DIG FCIID Abuja for investigation.

“The office of the DIG FCIID launched an investigation, and the parties were invited for an interview, which they all attended. The matter was subsequently charged to court. However, to derail the already concluded investigation, and following a shake-up in the police system that led to the transfer of some officers handling the case at the office of the DIG FCIID, Mrs. Nkiruka Duru and her criminal group reportedly sought refuge at the Nigeria Police Zonal Headquarters (Zone 13), Ukpo. There, they allegedly hoped to influence the case and file false and malicious complaints against our client over the same incident already investigated by the office of the DIG FCIID in Abuja.

“On Saturday, the 24th of March, 2025, while our client was in Asaba, she was arrested in a commando-style operation by SP Utazi and his team, operatives attached to the Nigeria Police Zonal Headquarters (Zone 13), Ukpo. “This arrest was carried out without any formal invitation to appear at Zone 13 and was a desperate attempt to sabotage the concluded investigation by the office of the DIG FCIID and humiliate our client. A video of the arrest was posted on the internet and WhatsApp platforms allegedly operated by Nkiruka Duru.

“At the Nigeria Police Zonal Headquarters (Zone 13), Ukpo, on Sunday, the 25th of March, 2025, the suspects, Mrs. Nkiruka Duru and her criminal group, allegedly used their influence and financial resources, in collaboration with SP Utazi and his team, to ensure that our client—who was the complainant at the office of the DIG FCIID Abuja—spent the night in police custody. As of now, she has yet to be granted bail.

“Shockingly, the police allowed the said Nkiruka Duru to take pictures and record videos of our client while in police custody. These were subsequently posted on the internet and social media platforms, mocking and ridiculing our client."

The deceased legal representatives had also requested that the office should mandate SP Utazi and his team to immediately transfer the case file back to the office of the DIG FCIID for proper prosecution, referencing the attached charge sheet.