Lagos Assembly move to tackle omo-oniles propose 3 years jail term

Hard times await
Omo-Onile and
Ajagungbale as the
Lagos State House of
Assembly has
proposed a three-
year jail term for any
person or group of
people who engage in
forcible entry and
occupation of landed
properties in the
state.
This was part of the
provisions of the State
Properties Protection Bill,
2013 which has gone pass
the second reading on the
floor of the House.
The bill seeks to regulate
the use of forceful or
unreasonable force to take
over any landed property
in the State.
Speaking on the necessity
for the bill, Chairman,
Committee on Lands and
Housing, Bayo Osinowo
said if the bill is eventually
passed, it would address
so many atrocities
committed by land
grabbers in the State.
Osinowo said, 60 percent
of Certificates of
Occupancy (C. of .O) are
fake. This is part of the
anomalies the bill will
correct when passed.
"In Lagos State, land is
our major resource. It is
our petrol compared to oil
producing states in the
country. Therefore nothing
will be too much to protect
its sanctity," Osinowo
noted.
Also speaking, Sanai
Agunbiade explained that
the bill will also take care
of land agents who parade
themselves and seize
landed properties illegally
without recourse to the
law. "The bill would
prevent Omo-onile from
potential buyer(s) who are
usually harassed and
intimidated before and
during construction
work,"Agunbiade stated.
He further explained that
the bill would prevent
anyone, who without lawful
authority, uses or
threatens violence for the
purpose of securing entry
into any landed property
for himself or for any
other person(s).
The bill stipulates a fine of
N200,000 or two years
imprisonment for any
person found guilty of the
section on forceful
possession of lands.
The bill which is a private
member bill states that
anyone found with fire
arm, weapon or chemical
material or in company or
any -person so armed
would be liable to a death
sentence.
In his submission,
Mudashiru Obasa who had
a contrary view on the
propose bill said an
existing law which
addresses same issue
should be considered
instead of passing another
bill.
However, if the bill is
passed, a special offence
court shall try any person
found guilty, while any one
contravening it will be
liable for three years
imprisonment or N300,000.
The bill has been
committed to the
Committees on Lands and
Housing as well as
Judiciary, Human Rights
and Public Petitions to
report back in a month.
Virtually all members who
spoke on the merits and
demerits of the bill
supported it with the
conviction that when
passed into law, it would
stop the activities of
Ajagungbale (land
grabbers) and nefarious
activities of Omo-Onile in
the state which had
hitherto hindered smooth
land transactions in the
State.