The Federal Government has called on land grabbers (‘omoniles’) who laid siege to land belonging to Ministry of Communication, International Radio Monitoring Station in Ipaja area of Lagos to quit the facility.

The 1 kilometre by .8 kilometre land of the ministry had been under siege by land grabbers who claim they have court judgment to recover the land from government. Barr. Abdur-Raheem Adebayo Shittu, Minister of Communications, gave the warning in Lagos on Thursday when he visited the facility.

Shortly after the tour of the facility where he met the Omoniles on ground, the minister told Independent that “as minister of communications, the International Radio Monitoring Station here is under my supervisory purview.”

He explained that the land was acquired by the government since 1974 and gazetted in 1975 adding that the ministry’s monitoring stations were there, while members of staff physically live in staff quarters doing their legitimate jobs. “Along the line, we understood that some Omonile sued the Ministry of Communications and Ministry of Land and Urban Development to re-acquire this expansive 1km by .8km land purportedly that the ministry had abandoned the place”.

The minister alleged that because of collusion with some officials from Ministry of Housing and Omonile, they got default ruling purportedly handing over the land to them. “We have applied to set aside the ruling,” the minister said adding that the ruling on the application to set aside the ruling purportedly given in favour of Omonile is slated for April 27, 2016. “But Omonile went ahead and started selling the land for between N10 million and N12 million per plot”, adding that they chased away the security men in the facilities as well as threatened the ministry’s workers and residents in the staff quarters.

The minister who warned those that patronise the Omonile and buying land which belong to the Federal Government from to desist, otherwise, they do so in their own peril. “So much lawlessness is taking place here. They started demolishing Federal Government Properties.

They brought in bulldozer and caterpillars and started grading the land as if they are preempting the ruling of the courts. They are boasting that they will chase our staff out of the premises. But we expect the police to protect lives and properties of the ministry, and we are doing everything to ensure the police do that.

Until the courts have taken decision, trespassers and those who bought land from them must maintain status quo ante. This is a government property, properly acquired and still in use. If all parties had been properly notified, ministry of communication will not seat back and allow its property to be acquired by Omonile. They are lawless,” he stated.

Source: http://www.independentnig.com/2016/03/fg-warns-land-grabbers-quit-communication-ministrys-facility-ipaja/