Obaseki to reconstitute committee for protection of private property

By Isaac Olamikan

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said his government is set to reconstitute the Private Property Protection (PPP) Committee to deal with cases of encroachment and land grabbing in the state.

Obaseki, who spoke to journalists in Benin City, the Edo State capital, said the state has amended Private Property Protection Law 2017 and set up a special court to prosecute offenders, as part of efforts to curb the criminal activities of land grabbers and property speculators.

According to the governor, “We are committed to ending land grabbing in Edo State and will next week inaugurate the Committee for the Protection of Private Property (PPP).”

Recall that the governor had, on July 27, 2021, assented to the bill repealing the Edo State Private Property Protection Law 2017 and re-enacting the Edo State Private Property Protection Law 2021.

While assenting to the bill, Obaseki stated that the law “affects law and order in the State. With this law, we are not only banning the Community Development Associations (CDAs) but also all sorts of splinter groups like Okaigele or people who have come up to forcefully take other people’s landed properties in their communities.”

He further noted, “We have been waiting for this law to reconstitute the committee on protection of private property. Now that we have the law, we will be reconstituting this Committee using this law and utilizing more stringent measures to deal with erring individuals or communities trying to dispose innocent individuals of their landed properties.

“We are setting up a special court to swiftly try offenders and if guilty, they will certainly face the consequences.”