Real estate firm PWAN Group has publicly denied any involvement in the arrest and detention of social activist Scott Iguma, who had accused the company of land fraud.
In a statement released on Thursday, PWAN Group rejected allegations that it orchestrated Iguma’s arrest through the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Panti, Yaba.
The claims were first made in a statement shared on Wednesday via Iguma’s Instagram account, purportedly from his legal team, though the lawyers did not reveal their identities.
The social media post also implicated PWAN’s founder, Augustine Onwumere, as the person behind the alleged directive leading to the activist’s detention.
However, PWAN firmly refuted the claims, stating, “PWAN, as a private corporate entity, neither has the authority nor has ever exercised any power to arrest or detain any individual.
The suggestion that we are responsible for Mr Iguma’s current legal challenges is entirely false, malicious and deeply misleading.”
The company acknowledged that Mr Iguma had made several accusations online, including allegations that it failed to allocate land to clients after issuing receipts.
According to PWAN, legal channels were pursued and peaceful dialogue was offered—offers that Iguma publicly declined.
“Despite persistent provocations and the dissemination of falsehoods, we extended multiple invitations to Mr Iguma for peaceful dialogue, offers he publicly declined,” PWAN noted.
The company also stated that resolving disputes via social media is unproductive and emphasized the importance of following legal procedures.
On the matter of Iguma’s arrest, PWAN said, “According to information reliably available to us, Mr Iguma is currently being held for allegedly evading lawful police invitations and for a reported altercation with law enforcement officials at Panti.
These events are unrelated to PWAN and occurred independently of any involvement or directive from our organisation.”
PWAN further disclosed that the case has been brought before Justice Oghazi of the Federal High Court in Lagos, urging the public and media outlets to avoid spreading unverified information and allow the legal process to unfold.
“PWAN remains committed to the rule of law and ethical business practices in Nigeria’s real estate sector,” the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, Scott Iguma has been remanded in prison by the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikoyi and is expected to remain in custody until Monday.
The development was confirmed by singer Okokowa Jerry, popularly known as KokoPee, who posted a video from the court premises on Instagram.
In his video, KokoPee said:
“I’m here in Ikoyi. Sadly, Scott has been remanded until Monday. He has been remanded for fighting for people. You have a problem with the way he has done it? Did he kill someone? Did he commit a crime? In Lagos, I thought they said defamation is not a crime?”
