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Tag: grabbers

  • Save me from land grabbers, community leader cries out

    Save me from land grabbers, community leader cries out

    A community leader in Oke- Eletu area of Ijede Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, Chief Oluwaremilekun Aina Shobote, has cried out to the Lagos State government over an alleged attempt by some people to forcibly dispossess him of a landed property.

    The distraught 75-year-old narrated how a man identified as Toyin and others asked for his permission to use his land for meetings, to which he reluctantly obliged.

    He said: ‘’He (Toyin) approached him seven years back for a portion of land at Oke Eletu to be used as meeting venue, though my younger brother said no but I consented and gave the land to Toyin and his friends. But contrary to his initial request, he (Toyin) actually turned the place to meeting point of a group called Ogboni Awopa.

    ‘’Toyin and his friends came three weeks ago with some policemen and video camera and forced me to sign papers that I have sold the land to them.

    ‘’When they left, many youths wanted to retaliate but I told them I would rather go by the law. My lawyer wrote petition to the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos, but to my surprise right in the presence of the police these people beat me up and broke into my house. I was arrested alongside my four-year-old and eight-year-old children but they were later released.

    ‘’I want the Lagos State government to save me from these land grabbers, who are also parading themselves as community leaders. We don’t even know what they do on the land, all I know is they come sometime with people and those people will be begging them. If you look around you will see that the place is deserted because they scare people away, so when I told them to leave my property for me they turned to violence because some policemen are backing them.’’

  • ‘Save us from land grabbers’

    The Provost, Federal College of Agriculture, Akure (FECA), Ondo State, Dr Samson Odedina, has reiterated his appeal to stakeholders of the oldest tertiary institution in the state to save its land from further encroachment.

    He said the Federal Government was against those individuals who allegedly invaded the agriculture institution and destroyed properties to claim ownership of its land.

    Odedina said the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, mandated the college management to vigorously pursue the case pending at the Appeal Court.

    Ogbeh, through the Director of Legal Services (DLS), Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Thompson Olatide , decried how some notable individuals allegedly brought bulldozers to destroy FECA farms to lay claim to its land.

    He said: “There had been a land judgement against the college before the assumption of the present management.  The institution that had produced many notable Nigerians was originally established on a 1000-hectare of land, but reduced to 375 hectares by land grabbers.”

    Odedina, while receiving an award of ‘Pacesetter in Education for African Reinaissance and Leadership’ presented by Pearl Group, said the land judgement, which was not appealed by his predecessors, led to the grabbing of another 113 hectares of the remaining land that accommodated the Provost’s quarters, a guest house, and two water dams among other properties.

    He said the college management instituted an appeal process immediately he took office as Provost, adding that the case is now ‘safely’ in the Appeal Court with injunction on the appeal and stay of execution pending before it.

    He appealed to security agencies to rescue the college by further preventing the destruction of its properties.

    Odedina said the development was to re-claim the college land that was acquired and gazzetted since 1949 in the interest of the incoming generations.

    The provost appreciated Chief Ogbeh, Governor Olurotimi Akeredolu and Deji of Akure, Oba Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo, for their prompt intervention in the protracted land dispute.

    He dedicated the award to students and members of staff of the college.

  • ‘Save us from land grabbers’

    Residents of Abijo  community  in Ibeju  Lekki  Local  Government Area  of Lagos  State  have called on the government to   save  them  from  land grabbers’ hands.

    The land grabbers, they claimed, have been terrorising them for years.

    According to Oluomo  of  Ibeju land, Chief   Talabi Salawu, the land grabbers  descend   on  the  community   at will, dispossessing  the  residents  of  their  land and other  valuables.

    He said: “They come at odd hours with dangerous weapons, beating and maiming the residents, dispossessing us of land and other valuables. This is in spite of the fact that we have a case against them in court. During their attack last week, my son was severely wounded. These are cases we have reported to police severally   with no solution in sight. Our   major dilemma is that the attackers are not relenting.’’

  • Olubadan warns land grabbers

    The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, Aje Ogungunniso 1, has declared land and boundary disputes as the most pressing challenge he is facing as a monarch.

    The first class monarch, who received the Prof. TaoheedAdedoja-led Olubadan Advisory Committee at his Popoyemoja, Ibadan palace over the weekend warned land grabbers to steer clear of Ibadan in their own interests.

    Oba Adetunji wondered why land disputes had assumed such a worrisome dimension in recent times.

    “We have a Ghana-must-go bag full of land petitions in the palace. It is from this bag that we take out land petitions that we discuss on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays every week subject to availability of time.

    “A couple of times, we have had to approach the National Archives,” he said.

    According to him, almost every local government in the city and Ibadan metropolis is affected, making the application of stiffer penalty by the government against land trespass and defrauding of the unwary and innocent people imperative.

    Adedoja, who was a former minister of Special Duties and Sports, congratulated Oba Adetunji on his first coronation anniversary.

    He prayed to God to give him long life.

    Mogaji Mogannna Lere Adigun, an engineer,  who prayed to God to grant the Olubadan more wisdom to discharge his responsibilities, stated that since the monarch inaugurated the advisory committee over a year ago, they had been working on various ideas that would make Oba Adetunji’s reign successful.

    The committee’s deputy chairman, Niyi Ajewole, stated that a biography of the 41st Olubadan will soon be completed and publicly presented.

  • Bill seeks 10-year jail term for land grabbers

    •Bureau makes N3.148b in four months

    A bill seeking 10 years imprisonment for land grabbers popularly known as Omo Onile is pending before Lagos State House of Assembly, Permanent Secretary, Lands Bureau Mr. Bode Agoro has said.

    The bill is expected to be passed into law in the third quarter of the year.

    It is titled “Bill for a law to prohibit forcible entry and occupation of landed properties, violent and fraudulent conducts in relation to landed properties in Lagos State and for connected purposes.”

    Agoro, who was giving account of his one-year stewardship under Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, said the attacks on government allottees by Omo Onile were unbecoming, adding that the government would no longer fold its arms and watch.

    “The incessant complaints and constant agony being felt by people of the state necessitated the Lagos State House of Assembly to embark on the bill. This law will definitely go a long way in stopping this terrible menace in our society. Let the Omo Onile be warned because we are determined to win the battle against them. We are coming for them and we are facing them squarely,” Agoro said.

    He regretted that Omo Onile have constituted themselves into nuisance, disturbing public peace at will.

    Agoro said between January and last month, the bureau realised N3.148 billion from land sales.

    Between last May and March, it generated over N8 billion; Governor Ambode signed 5,625 Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) within the same period. Agoro attributed the feat to the government’s strong will, immense capacity for hard work and desire to accelerate the process of issuing land title.

    “The need for the acceleration of the titling process is that a high number of property owners in the state have realised the importance of having titles for their lands, especially the business community, as registered land titles are major documents needed as collateral for obtaining facilities from financial institutions,” he noted, adding that the Directorate of Land Services, a department in the Bureau, has also introduced a new form, known as IC, which incorporates the passport photograph of the purchaser to be affixed on the deeds of agreement.

  • Bill seeks 10-year jail term for land grabbers

    •Bureau makes N3.148b in four months

    BILL seeking 10 years imprisonment for land grabbers, popularly known as Omo Onile, is pending before the Lagos State House of Assembly, Permanent Secretary, Lands Bureau, Mr. Bode Agoro, has said.

    The bill is expected to be passed into law in the third quarter of the year.

    It is titled “Bill for a law to prohibit forcible entry and occupation of landed properties, violent and fraudulent conducts in relation to landed properties in Lagos State and for connected purposes.”

    Agoro, who was giving account of his one-year stewardship under Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, said the attacks on government allottees by Omo Onile were unbecoming, adding that the government would no longer fold its arms and watch.

    “The incessant complaints and constant agony being felt by people of the state necessitated the Lagos State House of Assembly to embark on the bill. This law will definitely go a long way in stopping this terrible menace in our society. Let the Omo Onile be warned because we are determined to win the battle against them. We are coming for them and we are facing them squarely,” Agoro said.

    He regretted that Omo Onile have constituted themselves into nuisance, disturbing public peace at will.

    Agoro said between January and last month, the bureau realised N3.148 billion from land sales.

    Between last May and March, it generated over N8 billion; Governor Ambode signed 5,625 Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) within the same period. Agoro attributed the feat to the government’s strong will, immense capacity for hard work and desire to accelerate the process of issuing land title.

    “The need for the acceleration of the titling process is that a high number of property owners in the state have realised the importance of having titles for their lands, especially the business community, as registered land titles are major documents needed as collateral for obtaining facilities from financial institutions,” he noted, adding that the Directorate of Land Services, a department in the Bureau, has also introduced a new form, known as IC, which incorporates the passport photograph of the purchaser to be affixed on the deeds of agreement.

  • Bill seeks 10-year jail term for land grabbers

    •Bureau makes N3.148b in four months

    Bill seeking 10 years imprisonment for land grabbers popularly known as Omo Onile is pending before Lagos State House of Assembly, Permanent Secretary, Lands Bureau Mr. Bode Agoro has said.

    The bill is expected to be passed into law in the third quarter of the year.

    It is titled “Bill for a law to prohibit forcible entry and occupation of landed properties, violent and fraudulent conducts in relation to landed properties in Lagos State and for connected purposes.”

    Agoro, who was giving account of his one-year stewardship under Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, said the attacks on government allottees by Omo Onile were unbecoming, adding that the government would no longer fold its arms and watch.

    “The incessant complaints and constant agony being felt by people of the state necessitated the Lagos State House of Assembly to embark on the bill. This law will definitely go a long way in stopping this terrible menace in our society. Let the Omo Onile be warned because we are determined to win the battle against them. We are coming for them and we are facing them squarely,” Agoro said.

    He regretted that Omo Onile have constituted themselves into nuisance, disturbing public peace at will.

    Agoro said between January and last month, the bureau realised N3.148 billion from land sales.

    Between last May and March, it generated over N8 billion; Governor Ambode signed 5,625 Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) within the same period. Agoro attributed the feat to the government’s strong will, immense capacity for hard work and desire to accelerate the process of issuing land title.

    “The need for the acceleration of the titling process is that a high number of property owners in the state have realised the importance of having titles for their lands, especially the business community, as registered land titles are major documents needed as collateral for obtaining facilities from financial institutions,” he noted, adding that the Directorate of Land Services, a department in the Bureau, has also introduced a new form, known as IC, which incorporates the passport photograph of the purchaser to be affixed on the deeds of agreement.

  • Land grabbers take over public schools’ land in Ibadan

    Land grabbers take over public schools’ land in Ibadan

    Many public schools in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, have lost part of their premises to land grabbers who have erected private properties, including factories, on what used to be school farmlands and football pitches. BISI OLADELE and OSEHEYE OKWUOFU report that many of the school have shrunk in size. Besides, the cries of the authorities and old students to halt the invasion and reverse the trend seem to have gone

    Eyinni High School, Methodist High School, Christ High School, Abbey Technical School and Liberty Commercial Secondary Academy are popular public secondary schools in the Orita Challenge area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    Apart from their locations in the same axis of the ancient city, the schools which boast of rivalries in both academic and sporting fields spanning over five decades, share many things in common, including the sheer size of their premises, dating back to the 1960s when they were established by either the Church or private businessmen.

    Each located on large expanse of land measuring several hectres, their very large premises, housing many blocks of classrooms, hostels and sporting arenas, which were major attractions to parents and students in the past as they offered opportunities for both physical and academic development are gradually giving way to private properties leaving the schools a mere shadow of their glorious past.

    The private properties have sprang up on the schools’ premises in the last two decades or so due to the activities of land grabbers who in the absence of any serious challenge from government have encroached on the schools’ land and sold them off to private developers.

    This development is causing sleepless night for the authorities at the Oyo State Ministry of Education who are sweating to address the threat posed by these land grabbers to premises of public schools, not only in Ibadan but in other major towns in the state.

    Equally concerned are members of the old students association of these schools who have risen to the challenge posed to their amalmata by these land grabbers who are daily feasting on the unused portions of land of the schools as properties add value yearly.

    But they seem helpless because law enforcement by the government seems weak. And they are not being helped by the bureaucratic bottleneck that slows down decision-making within the government.  Besides, principals of public schools are unable to handle land grabbers given their position as mere civil servants who are not expected to be directly involved in some matters outside their official duties.

    Encouraged by these complexities, land grabbers, particularly children of the families who originally owned the land on which the schools were built, are prowling on large portions of unused school land without let or hindrance. This has gone unchallenged for several years.

    The result is that many of such schools have shrank in size over the years, and are now surrounded by residential buildings standing tall, sometimes forming a ring around the schools.  Such buildings also include factories, poultry farms and cottage industries. Some of the schools have been forced to adopt the option of erecting a fence to protect the remaining small portion as well as their students.

    However, the serene school environment originally created when they were established has been lost as residences form a ring-like structure around them.

    For some, the land grabbers have taken over their farmlands where students were taught practical farming, while some are unable to further expand through addition of more buildings because there are no more spaces for such. Yet, some are unable to offer sporting activities needed for the physical and psychological growth of children and adolescents having lost part of their sporting fields to land grabbers.

    At Eyinni High School, after over five acres of its land had been grabbed in the last 30 years, graders were rolled into the school compound a fortnight ago, clearing another large portion of land beside its football field.  When accosted, the suspected grabbers stood their ground, explaining to their challengers that the land belonged to their family.

    “How can this land in a school compound belong to an individual?” The challengers asked. The man, simply identified as Mr Olofe, replied that the portion of land was not part of the piece sold to Chief Jonathan Odebiyi, who established the school in 1966. The school was taken over by Oyo State Government in 1976.

    The graders worked there for days, clearing and leveling the land in preparation for sale to interested buyers. Local sources said the grabbers have approached them for purchase of the land if they were interested.

    According to old students, the foundation of the school was laid in 1968 with a total land mass of 14.79 acres. But today, Eyinni High School’s compound has been reduced to only about five acres, with residential houses and a factory surrounding it. The old students disclosed that the houses within about 500-metre radius to the north and eastern areas of the school stand on the school’s land. The buildings include a poultry farm, which they said was among the first to encroach on the land.

    One of the old students said: “Most of the houses between the old Toll Gate on the Ibadan end of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the school compound belong to the school.”

    Asked if any family has ever come forward to claim the land since inception of the school, he said: “No family has come up to claim any portion of the land till date. So, no portion has been ceded to anyone or any family by reason of court judgments. Nobody has also applied to use any part of the land officially. The land grabbers just jumped on the land and erected buildings of their choice without the school’s approval.”

    But the source recalled that old students once challenged the owner of the poultry farm when he wanted to expand further, forcing him to stop the illegal action.

    According to him, the old students association wrote a petition to the Ministry of Education in 2013 officially bringing the encroachment to government’s notice but that the letter attracted no response. He said government only visited the school after an open letter by the association was published in a national daily. Even after the commissioner’s visit, no action had since been taken.

    As at now, no fewer than 20 buildings stand on the school land.

    The association is demanding a reclaim of all the plots taken over by grabbers and stoppage of further encroachment. Its National Secretary, Pastor Bayo Olugbemi, also confirmed the claims in a telephone interaction with The Nation.

    The situation is worse at Liberty Secondary Commercial Academy, Kolomi area of the city. The school, which was established in 1961, initially sat on a 10-acre land but which has diminished by about 40 per cent. Its former hostel, which was converted to Community Primary School, also recently has a large portion of its land taken over by a businessman who is currently fencing it for construction of a hotel, a source said.

    At Christ High School, Oleyo, about half of the original land has fallen into the hands of a family through a court judgment. The development forced the school to confine itself to the remaining portion though it affected their farmland for practical Agriculture. The school was established in 1966.

    Abbey Technical School also at Kolomi, was also established in 1961. A reliable source disclosed that the school started on a land spreading over 16 hectres. But today, residential buildings have virtually taken over about 70 per cent of the land, confining the school to a small portion.

    At the Methodist High School, at the Ibadan end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the case of encroachment is not different. A large expanse of the school’s farmland totaling over eight acres has been encroached. A close neighbour, owners of a privately owned tertiary institution, was accused of taking over the school farmland since 2004. According to a source close to the school, the principal had written several letters to the state Ministry of Education for a redress and eventual return of the land.

    “It was a big problem we have been having here. We realized that we have been facing some very powerful individuals in the society. The very day we confronted them, I mean the day they were about erecting fence over the land in question, the officials of the school went with them, but we were shocked to hear from one of the high officials of the university that none of us could stop them from erecting the fence. As am talking to you, the school has no land to be called farmland for practical agriculture”, the source said.

    However, investigation by The Nation revealed that after several efforts by the school authorities to salvage the land failed, the initial owners of the school, the Methodist Church of Nigeria have waded into the matter.

    “The church has done all the necessary talking with the authorities of the university to persuade them to reason on the evidences tendered by the church on the true ownership of the land but it seems that they are not yielding,” the source added.

    Also, the Old Boys Association of the school was said to have intervened in the tussle with a view to retrieving their parcel of land where many of them had their agric practical decades ago The National President of the association. Dr Joseph Fadeyemi Akinrinmade, admitted that at a point, the association took up the fight over the encroached land but later had to withdraw when the Methodist Church of Nigeria stepped in.

    The Church, it was gathered later took the institution to court over the alleged encroachment, praying for an order for the university to vacate the land.

    “The case is already in court and I have withdrawn as the representative of the Old Boys. So, the case is now between the Methodist Church of Nigeria and the university. So, I can no longer comment on it because the case is already in court, “Dr Akinrinmade said.

    When contacted, the Oyo State Government admitted that it got reports from many schools in the state whose land was encroached. It was learnt that virtually all the schools in state is battling with the problem of encroachment.

    The state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Solomon Olaniyonu, said necessary action was being taken to redress the challenge as the ministry is abreast of the situation.

    Speaking with The Nation Olaniyonu said on the Eyinni High School , the authorities of the school have been charged to remain alert pending the erecting of pillars by the Surveyor General’s Office and subsequent construction of a fence by the government to put a permanent boundary on the school’s land.

    “This is the second time they would be there. Avian Poultry was there last year. Another set of people are there again. So our Ministry of Lands, Surveyor General Office and the Urban and Regional Development Unit are already coming there to fix our pillars so that we will be able to ward off intruders.

    “So, we have written those concerned. They are the ones who will help us fix the pillars so that we can now look for assistance in erecting a fence around whichever one is our own portion of land of the school there”.

     

    unheeded.