Lagos denies Amnesty International’s claim on evicted residents

[Mirror]

The Lagos State Government yesterday denied an allegation by the Amnesty International that it unlawfully evicted residents of blighted areas. It accused Amnesty International of interfering in land dispute without knowing the dictates of Nigerian constitution.

Although the state government disclosed plans to consider those evicted from Ijora East area on humanitarian ground, it dispelled the possibility of compensating the evicted residents, adding that the land was unlawfully occupied by them.

The state Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, chided Amnesty International on the allegation, saying the land in question belongs to the Lagos State Government contrary to the claims by residents and other human right groups. Ipaye said: "Amnesty International cannot determine who owns land in Lagos, Abuja and other states.

We all know the main claimant to land in Lagos State under the land Use Act is the governor because he is the residual owner of all lands in the state."

The commissioner added that it was illegal for the residents to dominate the land on the ground that they were relocated to the place from the site of the National Art Theatre by the Federal Government.

He said "The Federal Government cannot just drive anyone to the land as claimed by these people. If the Federal Government wants to give anyone that land, it will first acquire it and give the person the certificate of ownership or title document to that land. But to say they drove me away from A and then settle in B when there is no document claim that land B actually belong to someone else."

The commissioner stressed that the challenges confronting Lagos as the smallest state with highest population called for the need for the government to take proactive step in checking residents who may decide to settle at any place illegally.

Ipaye said: "What we may not know is that Lagos is the most populated and the smallest state in Nigeria in term of land space. Even the land available at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is bigger than what is available in Lagos. In this kind of situation what do you get with the kind of population density? There will be tendency towards this illegality if allows to go on. You know how refuse was in Lagos before, you know the efforts that are being made to clean the place."

National Mirror