Lagos State Government Condemns Land Grabbers

In an effort to fight against land grabbers in Lagos State, the state government has urged legitimate land and property owners to perfect their legal documents for easy administration of justice.

The state government in a statement through the Coordinator of the Lagos State Special Taskforce on Land Grabbers, Mr Owolabi Arole, stated that the team inaugurated against such cases have received over 1,300 petitions bordering on land grabbing.

Arole noted that the agency concluded 550 cases, made 35 arrests and was still working on 330 petitions.

He said, “A large chunk of the land grabbing cases the task force is working on is fraught with issues of improper and incomplete legal documentation and such issues cause delay in getting justice for rightful owners of land.”

“These issues, however, have not deterred us from carrying out our mandate and getting justice for rightful owners of land from unscrupulous elements who forcibly encroach and dispossess them of their property.”

He stated that bad documentation of property made it difficult for property forcefully taken to be retrieved through legal means.

Arole charged the victims of land grabbers not to take law into their hands, he urged them to report such cases to the state task force team which would seek justice for them.

He stated that the state government would punish any land thugs over their illicit trade if caught guilty.