Chinedum Treasure
Anambra state government has warned indigenes living abroad who returned home for the Yuletide to be wary of land racketeers who take advantage of their ignorance to sell unapproved lands to them.
There have been reports of many people in the diaspora being led unknowingly into endless litigations by land agents because they bought lands not duly approved, or the ones owned by the government.
Speaking on the development with our correspondent in Awka, Commissioner for Lands, Prof Offornze Amucheazi, SAN, said it has become worrisome, how such unsuspecting diasporans are swindled of their hard-earned monies just because they failed to do the due diligence.
He noted his Ministry has simplified processes of inquiring about land status and securing land titles, urging the people to always make use of such available platforms to verify the status of such lands before they pay.
He said, “We want to caution our brothers in the diaspora, who come and without due diligence, commit so much money in the purchase of land.
“We have gotten reports of many of these kinds of purchase which have landed the unsuspecting diasporans in trouble and we want to caution them ahead of time.
“We have done a lot to put things in order in the Ministry, so we urge the people to always verify with the Ministry before they purchase any of these lands.”
The commissioner noted that the attention of the Anambra State Government, through the Ministry of Lands, has been drawn to the activities of certain individuals attempting to illegally enter and commence construction on government lands in the Trans-Nkisi area during the Christmas and New Year break.
He said the Ministry of Lands will ensure that any land illegally purchased or built upon in the mentioned area will be recovered by the State Government.
“Also, any unauthorized structures erected on government land will be demolished by the State Government.
“Failure to comply with the directives outlined in this notice will attract severe legal consequences, and the full weight of the law will be invoked against any individual found engaging in illegal transactions or construction on State land.
“The Anambra State Government, through the Ministry of Lands, hereby warns members of the public to exercise caution and refrain from purchasing any government land in Trans-Nkisi from fraudulent individuals,” he concluded.
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