Firm accuses Lagos agency of unlawful possession of property •Land belongs to govt —Agency MESSRS A. J. Missri & Company Limited, operators of poultry farms in Aba, Abia state, has decried unlawful occupation of its landed property located on 23, Breadfruit Street, Lagos Island by the Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency LASURA. The property in question is an expansive bungalow comprising 25 lock up shops occupied by traders as tenants built 30 years ago. Managing Director of the Lagos-based company, Nze Edozie Okafor, while addressing a press conference to cry out over the illegal occupation of its property by the government agency recently, said the property has a certificate of occupancy issued by the state government which was registered as LO2059 at the Lands Registry, Alausa Secretariat, adding that LASURA is well aware that the property has a legal title. According to Okafor, who said there is no reason one should be dispossessed of his property unlawfully,noted: “In line with the due process policy of this regime, any property owner who is found guilty of running foul of the state’s urban renewal laws or policies, must be duly served with eviction notice before any action could be taken on the property in question. Commenting on the demolition, the company’s lawyer, A. A. Oneyibo noted that the action of LASURA contravenes the provisions of Section 2 of the new Lagos State Properties Law 2016, known as the Anti-Omonile Law, signed by the state governor. “Even our title was not revoked by the state governor before the appropriation of the property by LASURA, nor did the agency obtain a court order to embark on the demolition in order to forcefully acquire the property. Information reaching us indicates an unlawful and unconstitutional attempt on the part of the LASURA’s top officials to compulsorily acquire our property in breach of the provisions of S. 44 of the 1999 Constitution in order to transfer same to certain powerful individuals who believe that as indigenes of Lagos state, they are above the law,” Okafor noted. The Missri boss who disclosed that he went to LASURA to find out what was the matter after the demolition of the property by officials of the agency, said the agency had earlier asked for the documents of property including the originals during their first visit, pointing out that LASURA claimed after seeing the documents that the property was acquired in 1951by the state government. But reacting to the issue, Mr. Lateef Sholebo, General Manager, LASURA, simply said the land belongs to the government. The government has taken back its property. He added that those who are claiming ownership of the premises can proceed to a court of law to challenge government’s action. The post Firm accuses Lagos agency of unlawful possession of property appeared first on Vanguard News. For More details click the green link via Naijapounds

•Land belongs to govt —Agency

MESSRS A. J. Missri & Company Limited, operators of poultry farms in Aba, Abia state, has decried unlawful occupation of its landed property located on 23, Breadfruit Street, Lagos Island by the Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency LASURA. The property in question is an expansive bungalow comprising 25 lock up shops occupied by traders as tenants built 30 years ago.

Managing Director of the Lagos-based company, Nze Edozie Okafor, while addressing a press conference to cry out over the illegal occupation of its property by the government agency recently, said the property has a certificate of occupancy issued by the state government which was registered as LO2059 at the Lands Registry, Alausa Secretariat, adding that LASURA is well aware that the property has a legal title.

According to Okafor, who said there is no reason one should be dispossessed of his property unlawfully,noted: “In line with the due process policy of this regime, any property owner who is found guilty of running foul of the state’s urban renewal laws or policies, must be duly served with eviction notice before any action could be taken on the property in question.

Commenting on the demolition, the company’s lawyer, A. A. Oneyibo noted that the action of LASURA contravenes the provisions of Section 2 of the new Lagos State Properties Law 2016, known as the Anti-Omonile Law, signed by the state governor.

“Even our title was not revoked by the state governor before the appropriation of the property by LASURA, nor did the agency obtain a court order to embark on the demolition in order to forcefully acquire the property. Information reaching us indicates an unlawful and unconstitutional attempt on the part of the LASURA’s top officials to compulsorily acquire our property in breach of the provisions of S. 44 of the 1999 Constitution in order to transfer same to certain powerful individuals who believe that as indigenes of Lagos state, they are above the law,” Okafor noted.

The Missri boss who disclosed that he went to LASURA to find out what was the matter after the demolition of the property by officials of the agency, said the agency had earlier asked for the documents of property including the originals during their first visit, pointing out that LASURA claimed after seeing the documents that the property was acquired in 1951by the state government.

But reacting to the issue, Mr. Lateef Sholebo, General Manager, LASURA, simply said the land belongs to the government. The government has taken back its property. He added that those who are claiming ownership of the premises can proceed to a court of law to challenge government’s action.

The post Firm accuses Lagos agency of unlawful possession of property appeared first on Vanguard News.

For More details click the green link
via Naijapounds