*inaugurates Task Force
By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Oyo State Government has vowed not to tolerate land grabbing anymore in and across the nooks and crannies of the state.
The state’s Acting Governor, Barrister Adebayo Lawal dropped this hint in Ibadan while inaugurating the Task Force Unit of the real properties law of Oyo State .
Barrister Lawal said henceforth in Oyo State, anyone caught involving in land grabbing will now face up to 15 years jail term.
The Acting Governor added that those who aid and abet land grabbers will also not go scot-free, as the state government “is set to stamp out the menace of land grabbing”.
Barrister Lawal emphasized that the present administration in Oyo state places high priority on the peace, order and security of lives and properties in the state, and will leave no stone unturned in its determination to sustain peace and security.
According to the Acting Governor, the law would protect the rights of property owners, while putting a stop to the nefarious activities of land merchants, who he said, willfully and violently seize people’s land.
Barrister Lawal admonished those bent on encroaching other people’s property, most times by using violence, threats or imaginary connection with the powers that be or the use of force to demand fees from real property owners to desist from such acts, as according to him, the law is here to catch up with them.
” I must start this speech by commending the Governor, His Excellency, Engineer Seyi Makinde, who is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that peace and security of the State is sustained and, indeed, improved upon.There is no doubt that this administration places priority on the issue of peace, order and security of the State”, he said.
Barrister Lawal added, “It is not in doubt, that Oyo State is blessed with very large geographical land mass and because of its strategic location, if properly tapped into, the revenue generation drive of the state will be enhanced.Therefore, there is no gainsaying that Land is an important factor, if not the most important factor for economic growth”.
“Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, land speculators and some lawless individuals who want to reap from where they did not sow, engage in all sorts of antics to disturb and dispossess landed properties from their rightful owners.Some of them the use of force to demand fees from the property owners, inflict bodily injury on them, sell another person’s property and stop construction activities with the use of force, to mention a few.
“It is, therefore, worrisome that land owners are now being disturbed on daily basis by the unchecked activities of land grabbers.
“Hence, the urgent need to frontally tackle that menace by properly checking and discouraging it. It is against this background that the Real Properties Protection Law, 2016 was enacted. However, the Law has not taken effect due to the fact that the Task Force Unit, which is the operational unit of the Law, has not been in existence.”
Chairman of the Task Force, Justice Olajumoke Aiki (rtd), while speaking on behalf of the committee, pledged to protect the rights of property owners, prohibit illegal occupation and violent and fraudulent conducts in relation to real properties in Oyo State.
“On behalf of myself and members of the Task Force unit, I express our profound gratitude to His Excellency for not only granting his approval for the inauguration of this Task Force Unit but also believing in us to be the foundational members of the Force”, she said.
