Borno State Government on Monday commenced community sensitisation on land and documentation exercise, warning that structures that henceforth violate land administration laws in the state will be pulled down.

The exercise, which was flagged off at Pompommari Bypass in Maiduguri, brought together officials of the state Geographic Information Service, Urban Planning and Regional Development Board, and community leaders and residents.

Addressing newsmen shortly after the exercise, the General Manager, Borno State Urban Planning and Regional Development, Liman Mustapha, said the sentisation provided an avenue for education and community enlightenment on land use in the state.

He said, “We have had a very interactive session with members of the community and stakeholders. One thing we discovered is that many people have the papers, but they didn’t change them to their names.

“If you have a C-of-O that is not in your name, it has to be consented to by the governor before using it for your personal purpose.

“If there is any change of purpose. For instance, if a land is granted for residential purposes and you want to use it for another purpose, you must seek approval from the Borno Geographic Information Service before embarking on it. However, if whatever you have is not in conformity with what is in your land title, then the state Urban planning will not approve it,” he added.

He, however, warned that “once these law is violated, if it’s necessary to correct, we will correct it, if it cannot be corrected, we are going to pull it down”

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of Borno state Geographic Information Service, Adam Bababe, lamented that many residents have purchased properties without updating the land documents to reflect the identity of the new owners.

He said, “Borno Geographic Service is all about land management and administration. We are supposed to ensure that all land owners have proper documents for their properties. We have come to realize that the majority of people failed to comply with this documentation.”

Adam continued, “We see cases where original allottees have sold out their stake to Mr B, and Mr B has sold out to Mr C, who is now dead, and the children have inherited the land. So when you look at it, you will find that it is now held by other people, far from the original allotee, while it is still in the name of the original allotee. In such situation, you need to update this document. But they fail to do it.”

He also stated that there are issues relating to the conversion of land purpose without changing the document to reflect the new purpose for which the land is used.

“Houses are built for years on commercial lands while commercial activities are being conducted on residential lands. All these need to be corrected. So, if the people are unaware, we are out to make them aware. Therefore, we want to tell them that this is their responsibility, and that they need to do it; otherwise, they will end up losing these properties,” he warned.

Participants at the session commended the Borno state government for the sensitisation initiative, noting that it will go a long way in reducing cases of land disputes in the state.

One of them, Muhammad Salisu, said, “We are glad that the initiative of this nature is coming this time. It will go a long way in resolving land disputes across the state.

“My appeal to the state government is that no community should be left behind. Everyone in the state must be informed, and I believe that if this is done. People will live, buy properties, and do their businesses in peace,” he said. (The PUNCH)