Borno Govt Threatens To Demolish Illegal Structures

Borno State government has threatened to pull down structures violating its land administration laws. It advised residents owning property such as land to perfect their documents or titles.

The general manager, Borno State Urban Planning and Regional Development, Liman Mustapha gave the warning at a sensitisation programme on land use in the state.

The exercise, which was flagged off at Pompomari Bypass in Maiduguri, brought together officials of the state Geographic Information Service (BOGIS), Urban Planning and Regional Development Board, community leaders and residents.

He said, “We have had a very interactive session with community members and stakeholders. One thing we discovered is that many people have the papers, but they didn’t change them to their names.

“If you have a C-of-O that is not in your name, the governor has to consent to it before using it for your personal purpose.

“If there is any change of purpose. For instance, if a land is granted for residential purposes and you want to use it for another purpose, you must seek approval from the Borno Geographic Information Service before embarking on it. However, if whatever you have is not in conformity with your land title, then the state Urban planning will not approve it,” he added.

He, however, warned that “once this law is violated, if it’s necessary to correct, we will correct it, if it cannot be corrected, we are going to pull it down”

Also, the executive secretary of Borno State Geographic Information Service, Adam Bababe, lamented that many residents have purchased properties without updating the land documents to reflect the identity of the new owners.

He said, “Borno Geographic Service is all about land management and administration. We are supposed to ensure that all landowners have proper property documents. We have come to realise that the majority of people failed to comply with this documentation.

“We see cases where original allottees have sold out their stake to Mr B, and Mr B has sold out to Mr C, who is now dead, and the children have inherited the land. So. when you look at it, you will find that it is now held by other people, far from the original allotee, while it is still in the name of the original allotee. In such a situation, you need to update this document. But they fail to do it,” he said.