OGHA moves to protect residents against land grabbers, begins amendment of law

By Mercy James, Abeokuta

In its swift response towards addressing the pleas of residents of Ogun State against the menace of land grabbers, the State House of Assembly says it is set to conduct a stakeholders' forum with a view to amending the State Anti-land Grabbing law of 2016.

The review of the law titled: "the Prohibition of Forcible Occupation of Landed Properties Law 2016", will enable the Assembly address the rampant cases of land-grabbing being recorded recently in the State.

The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olakunle Oluomo, disclosed this today while responding to the presentation of petitions by some lawmakers during the plenary session held at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

The Speaker who condemned in strong terms, the life threatening and violent conducts of land grabbers in the State in recent times, noted that the amendment became necessary to re-consider the diverse opinions of relevant stakeholders in the concerned sector to give a more effective implementation framework to the law.

Olumo commended the Surveyor General of the State for setting up a task-force towards the enforcement of the Law, adding that the Tenth Assembly under his leadership remained committed to collaborating with Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies as well as relevant professional bodies amongst others to carry out an immediate amendment on the law.

In another development, eight bills, including: Ogun State Legislative Funds Management Law, 2023, Ogun State Judiciary Funds Management Law, 2023, The Ogun State Legislative Officers Administration of Pensions Law scaled first reading on the floor of the House as the Clerk and Head of Legislative Service, Mr. Deji Adeyemo read the long titles of the bills before the lawmakers.

Other bills that passed through the first reading at the plenary included: the Ogun State Judicial Officers Administration of Pensions Law, 2023, Prohibition of forcible occupation of Landed properties, Armed Robbery, Kidnapping, Cultism and other Violence and other Related offence (Amendment) Law, 2023, the Ogun State Official Orders of Precedence of Public Officers and Other Persons Law, 2023, The Ogun State Commercial Vehicles and Trucks Law, 2023 as well as the Ogun State Magistrates' Court Amendment Law, 2023.