Lagos outlaw omo onile

Lagos State government yesterday warned that it
is set to visit the activities of land grabbers, also
known as Omo-onile , in the state with full wrath

of the law.
The warning was delivered by the government
through the state Attorney-General and
Commissioner for Justice, Mr Adeniji Kazeem
who said the state is ready to apply the full
wrath of the law on anybody caught forcibly
taking another person’s land in the state.
Inaugurating a five-man Special Task Force to
curb the criminal activities of land grabbers, the
government said it will henceforth enforce the
state government rights over land in Lagos and
to also work with all security agencies to
implement state government and private property
rights in the state.
The terms of reference of the committee,
include: “to reduce to a barest minimum the
activities of persons or corporate entities who
use force and intimidation to dispossess or
prevent any person or entity from acquiring
legitimate interest and possession of property
acquired through state government or private
transactions.
Beside the committee is: “to coordinate the
efforts of the various agencies of government
charged with enforcing the state government
rights over land in Lagos and to work with all
security agencies to ensure enforcement of state
government and private property rights in Lagos
State”.
Kazeem explained that the state government’s
decision to set up the task force is in realisation
that in recent years, “the land grabbers have
caused havoc and unrest in different parts of the
state by dispossessing legitimate land owners of
their properties, thereby stifling commercial
activities in the state.
“It is therefore important that the state
government not only identifies the effects of the
problems being perpetrated by these
unscrupulous elements on commercial activities
and peace of the citizenry but also find lasting
solutions to the menace”, he noted.
Beside the commissioner said the task force
“was to protect investors and maintain law and
order” adding, “this by implication will encourage
the verification of legal claims through litigation
rather than resorting to violence”.
He said that the State Assembly is about passing
a law that will exclusively deal with the activities
of the land grabbers and prescribe appropriate
stiff penalty for offenders.