Arthur Eze
By Our ReporterÂ
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced an investigation into Nigerian business mogul, Prince Arthur Eze, over the alleged fraudulent takeover and demolition of a multi-billion naira estate in Enugu State.
The probe follows a blistering petition which accuses the billionaire and his agents of using “state might” — including armed police personnel and bulldozers — to destroy properties valued at over N1 billion and dispossess lawful owners of land worth an estimated N15 billion.
In a petition filed with the EFCC’s Enugu Zonal Command, dated February 5, 2026 and received by EFCC on February 6, 2026, obtained by SaharaReporters, the victims detailed how the property, located at Ayo Railway Station, Centenary City, Enugu, was allegedly snatched through “unlawful invasion and malicious damage.”
The petitioners claim they derived their titles from a 2019 sub-lease agreement signed by Prince Arthur Eze himself in his capacity as Chairman of Triax Company Nigeria Limited.
They assert the transaction was fully regularised with a Deed of Sub-Lease and an Irrevocable Power of Attorney, all registered under the Enugu State Geographic Information Service (ENGIS) with Registration Number 68/68/562.
“The property in question comprises approximately 300 parcelated plots of land, with an estimated market value exceeding ₦15 Billion (Fifteen Billion Naira). The land is duly surveyed, documented and registered in the name of Hon. Anthony Nvene (now deceased) with Enugu State Geographic Information Service (ENGIS) Registration Number: 68/68/562.
“The property was validly sub-leased in 2019 by Prince Arthur Eze, acting in his capacity as Chairman of Triax Company Nigeria Limited (Lessor), to Hon. Anthony Nvene (Sub-Lessee),” the petition reads, noting that all documents were signed “page by page” by Eze.
However, the victims alleged that in October 2025, one Barrister Chukwudi Oli, acting on Eze’s instructions, stormed the site with “armed police personnel and unidentified persons” to demolish perimeter fences and buildings without any court order or government revocation notice.
“During this operation, perimeter fences, gates, buildings and building materials on the land were demolished and destroyed. The estimated value of the destroyed assets exceeds ₦1 Billion (One Billion Naira).
“We reasonably believe that Prince Arthur Eze, having executed and registered the relevant conveying documents in 2019 as Chairman of Triax Company Nigeria Limited, cannot lawfully authorise any contrary action without due legal process.
The actions complained of therefore raise serious concerns of fraud and abuse of process,” the petition partly read.
When contacted by SaharaReporters, Barrister Chukwudi Oli, speaking as counsel for Arthur Eze, vehemently denied the allegations, describing the petitioners as “land grabbers” and “impostors.”
Oli claimed that the land in question (Plots C and D) belongs to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) and that his client only recently secured a fresh 50-year lease after paying a staggering N371 million premium in August 2025.
“Number one, that’s not true. The allegation against me in itself is false,” said Oli. “Railway has a property department… you have to apply, pay premium, and get an agreement. We paid about 371 million in August 2025.”
Oli argued that a previous 10-year lease from 2015 had expired without activity, and he questioned the validity of the petitioners’ documents. “Triax didn’t sub-lease the property when there is no payment of premium. There is no way you can register a property in Enugu through due process without a copy of the lease agreement,” he insisted.
He further claimed that his team acted under a court order and with the protection of the police to “clear” the site of illegal structures while awaiting final lease agreements from the NRC.
Despite Oli’s denials, the petitioners maintain that their documents bear Arthur Eze’s signature from 2019. When questioned Oli on how the same client could have signed sub-leases for the same land, he challenged the claimants to produce their proof, suggesting they might be misrepresenting which plots they actually have rights to.
“Go and check the documents again in respect of plots A and B,” Oli added, claiming Eze had previously gifted those specific sections to a former Enugu State governor.
The Nvene Association, the umbrella body of the victims, has now called on the EFCC to “identify all persons involved, including financiers and collaborators,” and to ascertain how a property already registered with the state government could be subjected to such a violent takeover.
