Lagos mulls legislation to contain illegal land deals, extortion

A major headache to developers in many Nigerian cities has been the over-bearing interference of self-acclaimed landowners (Omoniles), hoodlums and groups, through illegal demands for levies at construction sites.

Buying landed properties in these cities is often a gamble in which the buyer either wins or loses. Several unsuspecting land buyers have been defrauded and ruined by the ‘Omoniles’.  There have also been reported cases of swindled land buyers who lost huge sums of monies, developing high blood pressure and ending up in hospital.

In cosmopolitan cities like Lagos and Port Harcourt, the criminality is sustained by the desperation of people to acquire land and build personal houses in order to free themselves from the ‘cage’ of shylock landlords who demand two to three years upfront rent from prospective tenants. 

Over the years, the practice has been that landowners sell the same plot of land to multiple and unsuspecting buyers who only find out that they have been swindled, when after paying, they find other victims showing up with receipts and other purported ownership documents for the property.

 Lagos State is said to be mulling a specific legislation to contain the excesses of land speculators and the illegalities being perpetrated  by the Omoniles, including the traditional institutions which swoop on government’s lands at will and swindle unsuspecting individuals with impunity.

A similar law tagged “The Land Use (Prohibition of Extortion) Law, 2010” already in force in Port Harcourt, was assented to on July 17, 2010 by Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State. It prohibits extortion of landowners, land developers, contractors working at sites and operators of business premises, and for matters incidental thereof. 

The law makes it an offence punishable with imprisonment, for any person to demand or receive payment of any kind, other than legitimate money from a landowner. Those who invade construction or business sites in commando style, demanding for money from legitimate land developers who must have fulfilled all contractual obligations over the piece of land ,now risk jail terms. 

 For Lagos, the legislation yet to be drafted, it was learnt, may be emanating from the executive, and will make specific provisions to contain the activities of self acclaimed land owners, including obas and baales (local chiefs) who together with their cronies, continue to ruin families and individuals by selling disputed plots of land (some of the land under government acquisition), and making away with millions in hard earned monies of their victims, without providing the land paid for.

The law, BusinessDay learnt, may likewise address the vexed issue of increasing demands by the Omoniles, in connivance with the tradition institutions, of huge sums of money from helpless property developers. In many communities in the state, Omoniles slam huge levies on individual and corporate property developers, as if they (Omoniles) run a separate government from the state government, to whom the property developers also pay development levies.

Findings by BusinessDay reveal that in almost all the communities in the state, except for government’s schemes and highbrow areas like Ikoyi, Victoria Island, parts of Apapa and Ikeja GRA, Omoniles slam levies on property developers and demand payment with the use of brutal force, a development which a source says continues to paint the state in bad light.

Investigations reveal that in many areas, property developers are requested to pay at different stages of the development; hence there is a levy slammed on perimeter fencing, foundation laying, roofing and recently, plastering and wiring of the house is said to also now attract payment to the Omoniles.

 While many members of the public have had their construction work stopped by arms-wielding Omoniles who often confiscate work tools and send workers packing, a number of persons have been injured, and scores clubbed to death for attempting to resist the Omoniles.  

According to a source, the office of the state governor is inundated with complaints against this criminal act, just as the governor is often embarrassed when people call during phone-in live programmes, to complain about the activities of the Omoniles.

JOSHUA BASSEY