LAGOS GOVT MOVES TO TACKLE LAND GRABBING
By Emmanuel Adefeso Esq.
The Lagos State Government has said it would work with relevant agencies to tackle the menace of land grabbing in the state. The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), disclosed this on Thursday at a stakeholders’ forum organised for residents of Badagry.
Onigbanjo, who was represented by the Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Titilayo Shitta-Bey, noted that the meeting organised by the ministry and the Special Taskforce on Land Grabbers is to sensitise residents to the Land Grabbers Law, 2016.
He said, “The ministry is working with relevant agencies of government for proper implementation of the Land Grabbers Law, 2016 so as to nip the menace in the bud. The Land Grabbers Law 2016 has provisions to punish offenders with up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine up to N5 million naira or both. This meeting is to intimate stakeholders – traditional rulers, youths and other members of the communities – on this law and how it protects the rights of land owners, communities and the state from the activities of land grabbers which have led to the breakdown of law and order, economic instability, among others. The state government will no longer tolerate the activities of land grabbers.”
The Coordinator, Special Taskforce on Land Grabbers, Mr Owolabi Arole, said the agency will not rest on its oars until it rids the state of land grabbing activities.
Earlier in the year, Lagos State government signed into law the Real Estate Law 2022 which seeks to protect individuals from illegal Real Estate Transactions and fraudulent persons or organizations in the real estate sector. This further sensitization on the Land Grabbers Law will further solidify the government’s efforts at eradicating fraudulent land transactions and the unlawful activities of land grabbers in Lagos state. With these laws and the continuous effective monitoring for proper implementation, the laws will contribute to the ease of doing business in Lagos State by curbing fraudulent and sharp practices, especially by unregistered and unregulated practitioners in the real estate sector in Lagos State.