By; RAYMOND TEDUNJAYE, Lagos
Lagos State Ministry of Justice has said that the rising cases of Land grabbing is an issue of great concern to the State Government.
It has therefore organized a forum to sensitise residents of Epe and Ibeju communities on the nefarious activities of Landgrabbers and the State Property Protection Law.
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice who is also the Chairman Lagos State Special Taskforce on Landgrabbers, Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN who spoke at a Stakeholders meeting on Land grabbing held at Jata Hall, Ibeju said the rising cases of Land grabbing is an issue of great concern to the State Government.
“As part of the effort to address the issue of land grabbing in the state, the Lagos State Government enacted a law to prohibit forceful entry and illegal occupation of landed properties, as well as violent and fraudulent conducts in relation to landed properties in the State” Onigbanjo stated.
He said resolving land grabbing issues is of great importance to the Sanwo-olu Administration.
The Attorney- General who was represented by the Director, Office of the Public Defender , Dr. Babajide Martins stated that the menace of Land grabbers has imparted negatively on the growth of the real estate industry and investment.
“It is a fact that property transactions in Lagos State have been greatly hindered by the activities of the Omo-Onile and Ajagungbales Martins said.
While delivering a paper on the theme, “ Land grabbers, the Law and your Rights”, Martins, emphasized that the law on land grabbing that was enacted in 2016 still stands regardless of one’s status in the society.
He explained some of the provisions of the Lagos State Property Protection Law, 2016 and ln particular, Section 2(1) of the Law, which prohibits the use of force or self-help by anyone to take over any landed property or engaging in any act inconsistent with the proprietary rights of the owner of any landed property in Lagos .
Also, the Oba Alara of Ilara Kingdom, Oba Olufolarin Ogunsanwo, said that Land grabbers for decades have constituted a threat to property acquisition in Lagos, saying that there has been alarming reports of Land grabbing.
While acknowledging the State Government efforts at curbing Land grabbing in Lagos, Oba Ogunsanwo noted that the community also has an important role to play in the ‘Greater Lagos initiative’.
Ogunsanwo, however, implored the State Government and the Police to ensure immediate prosecution of identified land grabbers and their sponsors to serve as deterrent to other citizens.
