Ajiboye Educates on How to Curb Landgrabbing

The Chief Executive Officer of Efficacy Development PLC and a Real Estate Expert, Dr. Oyeleke Ajiboye, shared experience and valuable insights on land purchase.

He highlighted the tactics used by land grabbers and certain ‘Omoonile’ (local landowners) who falsely present themselves as customary landowners, deceiving individuals and leading them to lose their hard-earned money when purchasing property, particularly in areas under government schemes and those subject to government acquisition, as indicated in the 1993 acquisition gazette.

According to Oyeleke, lands under government acquisition are divided into two categories: Global Acquisition, which refers to land that does not have a specific government purpose yet and may later be released via excision or ratification; and ‘Committed Acquisition’, which designates land for specific public projects (e.g., infrastructure and housing schemes). Land in committed acquisition zones cannot be sold or developed by individuals, communities, or companies. Purchasing land in these zones is risky and may lead to demolition or loss of investment.

He said: “It is important to recognise that some ‘Omoonile’ often claim customary ownership of these lands. However, the Land Use Act of 1978, particularly Section 21, has diminished customary titles by requiring the Governor or Local Government’s consent for any alienation, which includes transfers, assignments, or mortgages of customary rights of occupancy.

“This effectively replaces the absolute traditional ownership of land with a statutory or deemed right of occupancy, thereby reducing the traditional control that existed under native law and custom—this is known as the ‘abolition of freehold titles’.

“Another deceptive strategy used by land scammers is selling government land under acquisition to unsuspecting buyers. When the government intervenes, these buyers often request refunds or reassignment, realising they purchased land that wasn’t owned by the seller. The documents they possess do not actually cover the land sold to them.

” Facing potential accusations of fraud, which is a criminal offence, these scammers might quickly file a lawsuit to drag the matter into court while they explore other illegal ways to resolve their fraudulent transactions. They often claim ownership through customary rights and insist they are contesting the issue with the government. This complex situation usually prevents innocent buyers from pursuing criminal charges against these perpetrators, as the scammers claim the matter is in court and ownership is contested.”

To curb the actions of land grabbers, Ajiboye outlined two measures that could be effective. First, if individuals know that land-related court matters in Lagos State will be resolved within three months, they may reconsider their tactics. They would understand that they have a limited timeframe to either recover their investment or find an alternative solution.

“Secondly, any legal matters involving government land allocation should be directed to the Ministry of Justice or the Anti-Land Grabbers Committee before approaching the courts for intervention.

‘This is the current state of the industry, which is causing many stakeholders to lose confidence. Developers and others with interests in the sector are beginning to withdraw, as no one wants to take unnecessary risks,” he said.