The Ogun State House of Assembly is set to checkmate the illegal activities of land grabbers and speculators otherwise known as “Omoonile” through a bill for the prohibition of forcible occupation of Landed Properties Law, 2016.
The Bill which has just scaled through the second reading at the plenary, will curb the nefarious activities of land speculators who often dispossess people of their landed property when it becomes a law
Opening debate on the Bill titled: H.B. No. 03/206 titled A Bill for A Law To Prohibit Forcible Entry and Occupation of A Landed Properties, Violent and Fraudulent Conducts in a Relation To Landed Properties In Ogun State And For Connected Purposes; the sponsor of the bill: Hon. Olakunle Oluomo, stressed the urgent need to curb the unlawful actions of the land swindlers who had been violently dispossessing people of their landed property.
Contributing, members including Honourables Akanbi Bankole, Adebowale Ojuri, Israel Jolaoso, TundeSanusi and Oludare Kadiri threw their weight behind the speedy passage of the bill, describing the activities of the land grabbers as inimical to the peace and security of the state as innocent people were being maimed and killed.
Support for the passage of the Bill equally came from Honourables Rasaq Oduntan, Jemili Akingbade, Adeyinka Mafe and Adebiyi Adeleye, who collectively described it as timely, sought for more public enlightenment programmes for people to be aware of their rights on it when passed into law.
The Minority Leader, Honourable Wale Alausa with Honourables Aina Akinpelu, Yetunde Sogbein, Olusola Sonuga and Idowu Olowofuja spoke in support of the anticipated sanity in land administration that would attend the passage of the Bill which they described as a people-oriented.
They observed that with its passage, land swindlers would be brought to the kneel since their activities had constituted a menace and security threat to the society in recent times, occasioned by the illegal charges of sundry fees by them at the various stages of building construction.
Responding, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Suraju Ishola Adekunbi, lauded his colleagues for their robust contributions and committed the bill to the Joint House Committees on Lands and Housing as well as Justice, Ethics and Public Petitions for further legislative actions.
In a related development, Speaker Adekunbi has urged the people of Elere and Onigbedu in Ewekoro Local Government Area of the state to remain law abiding, peaceful and forward their petition against land speculators to the House in line with the bill.
He gave the advice while receiving the delegation from the communities led by a community leader, Jimoh Fadipe, who came to present a petition against land grabbers and their illicit activities in the communities that had breached the peace in the area.