…alerts government
The Nasarawa State Traders and Marketing Association has called on the state government to act swiftly in halting the perceived illegal activities on government-owned land in Lafia.
The land situated at old Lafia store, opposite the newly constructed Lafia flyover was taken over by government who relocated the traders who had occupied the land to another location in Lafia.
The Traders and Marketing Association’s Chairman, Alhaji Turaki Gamji, raised an alarm at a Press briefing in Lafia on Monday saying members discovered unknown individuals demarcating and digging up the property said to have been designated for investment purposes.
According to Alhaji Gamji, the encroachment was first noticed on Sunday and persisted into the early hours of Monday morning, prompting an immediate intervention by the association and state officials.
”We woke up yesterday, Sunday, and we saw one of the lands owned by the Nasarawa State Government, and an individual, an unknown person, came and start sharing the land, allocating it to people we cannot identify.
“Immediately we stopped them yesterday, but as early as 6:00 am today, they came back and started digging the place again.”
The Chairman explained that the land holds significant historical value, having been occupied by the ancestors of the current traders for over two centuries before they were relocated to Shendam Road to make way for industrial development.
”This place was occupied by our grand-grandparents for more than 200 years. Government acquired the land because they wanted to bring achievement and investors here. Our people respected the government and withdrew from the place after being compensated, believing their grandchildren would benefit from future investments. But look at the result we are seeing today,” he said.
Gamji noted that the traders leadership had to step in to prevent a physical confrontation following the tension that arose among the local community,
He stated that the association’s interventions prompted officials from the Ministry of Lands, including the Commissioner, to visit the site to assess the situation.
According to Gamji, the officials have no knowledge of the new “allocations,” asserting that the state had not authorized any private development on the site.
”The Commissioner and his team have assured us that nobody can occupy government properties without a valid allocation or proof from the state government. They have never known anything about what is happening here,” Gamji added.
He, therefore warned the public against falling victim to land scams, urging potential buyers to conduct thorough due diligence at the Ministry of Lands or the local government headquarters before buying landed property.
”I am drawing the attention of marketers and the public to be careful of people doing ‘419’ (fraud) on government property. If you want to buy something, look for the genuineness of the property. Go and confirm before you take your money out, because anybody giving their money away for this place is losing it,” he warned.
He vowed that the association would continue monitoring the site to ensure that the land remains available for the formal investment projects originally intended by the state government.
