The Kogi State Government has commenced documentation of land title holders in Lokoja to identify illegal developments and encroachment on access roads in layouts across the capital city.
The Bureau of Lands and the Town Planning and Development Board began the exercise on Thursday at TPS 33 Layout, opposite the CBN, along Zone 8–House of Assembly Road, Lokoja.
Speaking during the exercise, the Director-General, Bureau of Lands, Kehinde Augustine Salihu-Otaru, said the layout had been affected by encroachment on access roads and illegal occupation, with multiple persons laying claim to some plots.
He said the government had identified cases of land encroachment, illegal title holders and unauthorised developments in the layout.
Salihu-Otaru said properties built on access roads would be removed to restore the layout to its original design.
He directed all land title holders, occupiers and developers in TPS 33 Layout to present their approved land documents for profiling.
Salihu-Otaru said the exercise was aimed at sanitising the layout, warning that properties belonging to occupiers without valid documents would be removed.
Similarly, the General Manager, Kogi State Town Planning and Development Board, Abdullahi Yusuf, said the exercise was designed to restore the layout to its approved plan.
Yusuf said legitimate landowners had been unable to access their plots because of the activities of illegal developers.
He said the government would not allow persons with questionable land titles and property developers to encroach on access roads as the new layout develops.
A property owner in the layout, Chief Frank Ogbehe, commended the government for the exercise, saying it would help sanitise activities in the area.
Ogbehe said the exercise would also expose fake land titles and protect genuine property owners who may have bought plots from illegal sellers.
The state government said the exercise would continue until all layouts conform to their approved designs and legitimate title holders are able to access their plots.
