Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode
The Lagos State Government has read the riot act to land grabbers in the state, saying it will not hesitate to prosecute them over undue encroachment on people’s property.
The government also charged residents of the state to be law abiding, support the present administration and protect government’s facilities in their domains.
The Alternate Chairman, Lagos Sate Special Task force on Land Grabbing, Akinjide Bakare, said this at the weekend during the monthly interactive meeting organized by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs for the Community Development Committees (CDCs), Community Development Association (CDA) and Neighbourhood Watch security outfit with other stakeholders across the State, held at Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.
He said the importance of the taskforce could not be over emphasized as the law on land grabbing would finally put a stop to the menace of land grabbers across the state.
“’If you are the government and the people at the community are not feeling your impact, then you are just doing everything in vain, everything we do as a government should be about the people we govern. The only way one can be sensitive is to have listening ears and meet the needs of the people.’’ he said.
According to him, what the government sought to achieve was for people to buy land in Lagos and be rest assured that their land were secured, saying that it was important for people, especially those who were retiring from work and investors who had put their money in Lagos State for the purpose of establishing a business, to be safe.
“With the economic improvement in Lagos State, it is also important that when people buy land in the state, they would be readily assured that their land are intact,” he said.
He emphasized that with the law being in place, anyone found guilty of land grabbing would now be jailed 10 years, adding that whoever bought illegal land after thorough investigation would pay a fine of ₦5 million and that any land grabber caught on the land with weapon would be jailed for four years.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Communities and Communications, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan, noted that the Ambode administration was community-driven.
“Today’s interactive meeting is to let people know that the present administration is prompt in planning, committed and proactive, the meeting has energized the communities so that they can also monitor government infrastructure in their areas,” he said.
He maintained that the land grabbing law would put an end to the bitterness, anguish and anger being experienced by residents whose properties were snatched by land grabbers.
“The law will also assist victims of extortion and victims of gangsterism and this law will prevent them in check. This law will deal with all the challenges those who had properties in the State are facing, it will also give every land owner peace of mind to own and leave in their houses without any hoodlum disturbing them before erecting any structure on their land,” he said.
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