Borno to demarcate boundaries, curb illegal structures along river banks

Adam Bababe, Executive Secretary of Borno Geographic Information Services (BOGIS), has inaugurated a 13-man Committee saddled with responsibility of demarcating boundaries, controlling illegal structures along river banks and buffer zones or water ways in Maiduguri city and its environs.

Bababe, while inaugurating the Committee members, warned people to stop developing structures along the waterways and buffer zones where properties developed were marked illegal without government titles.

According to him, about 99.9% of properties developed along the waterways and buffer zone don’t have government titles.

Bababe added that the State government would not pay compensation to any demolished property along waterways and buffer zone that have no title or consent, stressing that, from records available at the agency, over 1300 structures or properties belonging to the people from 2020 to date, had been marked illegal and measures were being put in place to restrict or stop such a development.

He noted that the Committee has two weeks duration to carry out its assignment and submit its recommendation for approval on the demarcation of boundaries and developments along waterways.

“No title. No compensation. Government will not pay anybody without title any compensation. It is a covenant between government and its citizens to have titles for 99 years for residential, 40 years for commercial and 10 years for other properties.

“But where there is no title, there is nothing government can do as it can not be responsible for untitled land or landed property. The land use act is very clear about this. And we have warned people. We even marked some structures built against the act and without permission,” Bababe said.

According to him, any offender found breaching the land use act and orders of the agency, will be panelized accordingly and made to face the earth of the law as such misconduct has resulted in death of many people during flooding and government will not condone such behaviours henceforth.

The Committee comprises town planner, Liman Gana Mustapha as Chairman Surveyor; Amsami Alhaji Bukar as co-chairman; Surveyor General as member; director town planning as member, Mohammed Garba Yimir as member; and Babagana Bunu as member.

Others include Mustapha Dalarambe Member, Abdulraman Mohammed member, Hamman Julde Member, Halima Abatcha Member, Mohammed Almaki member, ASP Abba Bukar member and Modu Usman Choromi, a town planner as secretary.

Liman Gana Mustapha, the Committee Chaiman, thanked the State governor and the Agency for finding them worthy to serve in the Committee while assuring that the Committee members would carry out their assignments diligently without any fear or favour in the overall interest of the State government and people of Borno State.

He also pledged to demarcate boundaries and make appropriate recommendations to the State government for executive approval.