Edo State Geographic Information Systems (Edo GIS) has insisted that no 17-year-old can apply for land registration in the state.
It clarifified that there was no time, 14,000 hectares of land were acquired by 17-year-old boy.
The agency debunked reports circulating on social media alleging that a 17-year-old-boy purchased 14,000 hectares of land in Edo State and was subsequently denied a Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) by Governor Monday Okpebholo.
Edo GIS stated this while debunking report in section of the media that Okpeholo suspended the issuance of C-of-O because the applicant was a teenager.
In a statement released by the director of Press, Tunde Egbiremonlen, the agency said that no such transaction exists in its records.
According to the statement, a 17-year-old is legally considered a minor and, as such, is not eligible to register land ownership under Edo State law.
“The Edo GIS system will automatically reject such applications due to age restrictions,” the statement read.
“In the first place, a 17-year-old cannot apply for registration of land in Edo state because that age bracket is assumed to be a minor; the Edo GIS system will automatically reject the application.
“To compound the objective of the rumour-mongers, the peddlers of the story did not explain where in Edo state, such 14,000 hectares were purchased by the minor.”
Egbiremonlen also pointed out inconsistencies in the viral report, noting that it failed to mention the specific location of the alleged 14,000 hectares and described the story as “deliberately mischievous and fabricated.”
He accused the originators of the false information of attempting to cause disaffection and blackmail the government, alleging that significant funds were spent to circulate the fake news.
Edo GIS urged the public to disregard the claims and remain vigilant against disinformation aimed at undermining the government’s credibility.
