The Imo State government has threatened to arrest and prosecute private individuals and organizations encroaching on public schools and hospital lands.
In a statement issued by the Secretary to the Government of Imo State, Chief Cosmas Iwu, the government frowned at the activities of land grabbers who had swopped on government land lately.
It regretted that such land speculators have either been farming or have gone ahead to erect structures in such a land that had long been acquired for schools ,hospitals or recreation centres.
It reminded such people that under the Land Use Act of 1978, all lands are invested in trust in the hands of the governor of the State and that Governor Hope Uzodimma had not authorised anyone to tamper with any government land.
Chief Iwu announced that His Excellency, Governor Hope Uzodimma has given approval for the recovery of such land appropriated by individuals or organizations.
According to him, education secretaries and local government chairmen have been given two weeks within which to carry out the directive of the governor.
” All local government chairmen and education secretaries are hereby directed to, within two weeks recover such lands from the illegal occupants irrespective of what use they had put such lands into”.
He warned that anyone caught flouting the directive will be arrested by the security agencies and prosecuted.
Below is the full text:
IMO STATE GOVERNMENT SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
It has come to the attention of mo State Government that unknown persons have embarked upon illegal acquisition of lands belonging to
Imo State Government particularly, Local Government Headquarters, Schools, Hospitals and Health Centres, Recreational Centres/Open Spaces and other lands belonging to the State Government under the guise of recovering their ancestral lands.
The Land Use Act of 1978 (as amended), vests all lands rn each state in the governor who holds them on trust for the people and grants individuals or corporations’ rights of Occupancy.
To the best of the government’s knowledge, nobody has been granted any right to possess any part or whole of the lands already ceded to the schools,health centres.
Consequently, the Governor of mo State, His Excellency, Senator Hope Uzodimma,CON,GSSRS,has directed the immediate vacation of individuals and/or corporate bodies who have encroached on the said lands.
All the Local Government Chairmen and Education Secretaries are hereby directed to, within two weeks, recover such lands from the illegal occupants irrespective of what use they had put such lands into.
Anyone caught flouting this directive will be arrested by security agencies and prosecuted.
Be warned.
Chief Cosmas Iwu
Secretary to the Government of imo State
