2nd November, 2019
Lagos State Government has dislodged miscreants and land grabbers from a portion of land at Amuwo-Odofin residential scheme.
Officials of the Lagos State Task Force on Land Grabbers dislodged the hoodlums from the land measuring 661.659 square metres located at Block 86, Plot 3638, Amuwo-Odofin Estate.
Lagos State Attorney General, Moyo Onigbanjo while reviewing report of a recent enforcement exercise carried out by the taskforce and police men from the Governor’s Monitoring Team (GMT) at the weekend stated that land grabbers had forcefully encroached and seized the land belonging to one Janet Johnson preventing her entry and possession.
He explained that Johnson had petitioned his office through her solicitors to report the persistent encroachment and disruption of work on the land by land grabbers, demanding justice and right of possession of her land.
“As a responsible and responsive government, we investigated the claim by the petitioner and found out that the said land indeed belongs to her. She presented copies of the C of O, composite survey plan, deed of assignment and letter of allocation from the State Government which were authentic and proved her rightful ownership of the land,” Onigbanjo said.
He advised all legitimate land and property owners in the State to perfect title documents as well as all other legal documents pertaining to their land and properties, saying this would help put land grabbers at bay and ensure easy administration of justice in the event that such properties were forcefully taken.
Onigbanjo averred that undocumented and incomplete transactions as well as untidy property documentation made it difficult for property forcefully taken to be retrieved through legal means, stressing that the case of Johnson has proven beyond doubt that property forcibly and illegally seized could be retrieved when title documents were perfected.
Noting that the dislodgement exercise was in continuation of the renewed drive of the present administration to put an end to the illicit activities of land encroachers and grabbers in the State, the Commissioner said that all illegal structures constructed by land grabbers on the land were pulled down during the enforcement.
He hinted that the land had been secured and returned to the rightful owner since the enforcement exercise.
Onigbanjo said the zero tolerance stance against land grabbing and land encroachment by the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s led administration was very clear, assuring that every legitimate interest and investment made on land and property in Lagos State would be protected by government.
“I want to remind residents that the Lagos State Property Protection Law of 2016 is in full swing. This Law which prohibits forceful entry and illegal occupation of landed properties, violent and fraudulent conducts in relation to landed properties in Lagos State prescribes severe penalties with various prison terms for different offenses.”
“Members of the public are therefore advised to bring to the notice of the Taskforce on Land Grabbers any issue or issues bordering on land grabbing by addressing a petition to my office or call the following numbers 09096667123,09020085005,” the Commissioner said.
He warned land grabbers to desist from their illicit trade, stressing that the government would through its Task Force bring the full wrath of the law on anybody who used force and intimidation to dispossess or prevent any person or entity from acquiring legitimate interest and possession of property acquired.