The Oyo State Government has demolished illegal structures erected on government-acquired lands in the Podo area, near Top One Garden in Oluyole Local Government and at Dizengoff, Kolapo Ishola, both in Ibadan.
The Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Williams Akin-Funmilayo, led the demolition on Wednesday, warning land grabbers against encroaching on government property.
Speaking during the exercise, Akin-Funmilayo declared, “The lands in question are assets of the state government, and we will not tolerate any form of encroachment or illegal occupation. Those currently working on the land are not the rightful owners but are purely land grabbers.”
He referenced Section 3, Subsection 1 of the Oyo State Real Property Protection Law, 2017, which prescribes a jail term of up to 15 years for anyone guilty of land grabbing.
The commissioner noted that the government had issued revocation notices to occupants of the Podo area in 2012, followed by a newspaper publication and an official gazette confirming the land’s acquisition for a neighbourhood market.
Despite these actions, some occupants challenged the acquisition in court but lost, with the judgment delivered in favour of the government.
Akin-Funmilayo assured that landowners with valid Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) would be compensated.
He reiterated Governor Seyi Makinde’s commitment to zero tolerance for land grabbing, stating that the government would ensure that state-owned assets benefit all citizens.
