16th March, 2017
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
The Lagos State Government on Thursday decried the high rate of land grabbing in the state, disclosing that 1,200 of such cases had been recorded by the government in the last nine months.
The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Adeniji Kazeem, while speaking at the commissioning of the permanent offices for the Lagos State Special Task force on Land Grabbers at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria stated that between 26 June, 2016 and March 2017, the state had recorded 1,200 cases with only 250 cases resolved.
“The activities of these people who with their collaborators in high and official places have continuously enforced a reign of terror on the people. The horror that the people of Lagos, both in the cities and in the rural areas is best imagined than experienced.
“Consequently, people have lost huge sums of money, business and even lives all in a bid to secure their legitimate land holdings. It is sad the people who are supposed to protect the lives and property of the citizens are often in collaboration with these land grabbers in oppressing the people.”
Kazeem said that some of the cases were resolved through various means, including physical enforcement, mediation and conciliation, as there were other several cases ongoing as a result of the efforts of the task force.
The Attorney General, who said all the works of the task force were carried out in single room hitherto used as office within the state Ministry of Justice, reiterated the state’s commitment to eradicating the menace of land grabbers.
In his words: “The Lagos state government under the leadership of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode is determined more than ever to use all legal means to ensure the continued success of this law, including the provision of all required logistics and resources to the task force to ensure that it is able to do its work.
“Since the inauguration of the Task Force, it has received about 1,200 petitions with about 250 resolved through various means including physical enforcement, mediation and conciliation. There are several criminal cases ongoing as a result of the work of the task force. All of these were done in the single room apartment of the task force in the Ministry of Justice.”
Kazeem urged all stakeholders to either join the bus of change in the property sector or be left behind, stressing that everyone needed to make up their minds on which side they wanted to stand, the side of truth and righteousness or the other side.
“Posterity will be the judge of all of us. I urge the task force to make the optimum use of these facilities to enhance its work and bring about the expected succour to the people of Lagos State,” said.