Kogi State government has set up a task force that will reclaim all government land and public institutions illegally converted for use by individuals.
Chairman of the Task force committee and Chief of Staff to the governor, Mr Edward Onoja at the commencement of its assignment in Lokoja said government was concerned about the “incessant encroachment” into public land for private use.
Edward who spoke at the palace of the Maigari of Lokoja, decried the trend whereby public land meant for schools, hospitals, estates, cemeteries and tourists’ centres amongst others were being encroached upon.
He called on members of the public and stakeholders with complaints over encroachment of public land/institutions to forward their petitions to the committee for appropriate action, assuring that the committee would be fair in the discharge of its assignment.
Responding, the Maigari of Lokoja, Alhaji Muhammad Maikarfi, who assured of his support for the initiative, however pointed out that the government should look into issues of traditional lands acquired in the past for which compensations were yet to be made or reallocation of alternative land as promised.
