By Abdullahi Ibrahim
Members of Lokoja Development Association (LDA), have sought the intervention of Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, over the illegal sale of Ministry of Agriculture land along IBB road, beside HABSO filling station, Lokoja to a top government official by unknown persons.
They also warned that the development may cause mayhem in the area if nothing is urgently done.
The LDA Chairman, Alhaji Musa Usman, while speaking with Journalists on Saturday said, “we woke up last week and saw some men who claimed they were government officials measuring this land and subsequently ordered for it’s fencing.
“When we asked them, they said that the parcel of land and building has been sold to one top government official at the Government House.
“The structure on this land was built by Northern Nigeria Government in the 60s as Produce Office for Kabba Province. When Kogi state was created in 1991 it was then converted to Tractor Hiring office by the state Ministry of Agriculture.
“It remains the Ministry of Agriculture property until it was allegedly sold by some government officials.
“As far as we are concerned, nobody, no matter how highly placed will be allowed to put any structure here. We will continue to protect all government and our ancestral lands in Lokoja.
‘This land and the ancient building is supposed to be a monument that the state government ought to rehabilitate for tourism purpose and not to be sold to a top government official that will use ill-gotten money to develop for personal use,” Usman adviced.
Usman further said; “We are using this medium to call on the state government to as a matter of urgency stop any development by individual or group on this land.
“If nothing is done to stop the buyer of this land from further development, we shall embark on mass protest until the land is handed back to the state government. We promise to continue to expose activities of these land grabbers claiming to be government officials.
The LDA Chairman therefore appealled to the state government to set up an intelligent team that will be dispatched to various local government areas to identify and apprehend individuals involved in the unauthorized sale of government properties.
In a similar department, attempt was made by land grabbers to annex a land belonging to Lokoja Community Comparative, these Land Grabbers have now taken their game to a new level as they have the audacity to grabbed community and individual lands in their desperate attempt to deceive owners into believing that sales of such lands are genuine transactions
and have governor Ahmed Usman Ododo government backing. adding that “this engagement.
The spokesman of the group therefore called on Gov Ododo to address the menace of land grabbers in the state stressing that“ without addressing the land grabbers syndrome, he would have left a big monster, plaguing investment in real estate development in kogi State to continue festering as there are many well meaning corporate organ by Land Grabbers ’activities.” he said.
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