Ogun Assembly Calls on IG to Investigate Land Grabbing Issue, Expresses Concern Over Collusion with Police

By : Ogunyanwo Oluwatunmise

The Ogun State House of Assembly has urged the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to promptly investigate the reported unlawful arrest and detention of innocent residents in the state.

During the plenary, Speaker Olakunle Oluomo appealed to the lawmakers to share instances of land-grabbing in their constituencies while discussing the State Anti-land Grabbing (amendment) bill.

According to a statement from the head of information of the state assembly, Lawal Jamiu, Speaker Oluomo expressed concern over the continued detention of innocent residents in police cells due to collusion between land grabbers and security agents.

He appealed to the Inspector General to intervene and prevent innocent individuals from being unjustly affected by false accusations. He suggested that all land-related cases should be taken to court, and assured that the new amendment to the bill would establish a task force by the State Government to address such matters.

Earlier while opening the debate on the bill, the sponsor, Hon. Damilola Soneye lamented that the issue of land-grabbing had become rampant in the state, hence the need for the amendment to make the law more effective and efficient.

Deputy Speaker Bolanle Ajayi, Minority Leader Olalekan Adeleye, and other lawmakers expressed their concerns about the negative impact of land grabbers on the state’s peace, progress, and development. They emphasized the importance of adopting a comprehensive approach to tackle this issue.

The Assembly has received a list of ten additional commissioner nominees from Governor Dapo Abiodun. The nominees will be screened by the lawmakers today at 2:00 PM.