The Lagos State House of Assembly, western Nigeria, on Wednesday proposed 21 years imprisonment for anyone convicted of land grabbing.
But lawyers have said the law is harsh as they argue that there are more heinous crimes in the country that carry lesser penalties.
The bill stipulates that anyone who sells land to another person knowing that such a land belongs to a third party commits an offence and is liable to 21 years imprisonment upon conviction.
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In the bill titled Law to Prohibit Forceful Entry and Occupation of Landed Properties, Violent and Fraudulent Conducts in Relation to Landed Properties in Lagos State, the lawmakers also proposed 10 years for any owner of a landed property who uses violence to seek repossession of his property.
The proposed law, which underwent public hearing on Wednesday stipulates that as from the commencement of the law, a person or group of persons are prohibited from using force to take over any landed property in the state.
“Any person or group of persons who, having used force to take over a landed property in the state…after the commencement of this law, commits an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a prison term of 21 years,” states Section 2, subsection 1 of the 17-section bill.
The law also stipulates a fine of N300,000 or a prison term of three months for anyone who trespasses into another person’s land and refuses to leave even when the original owner of the land obtains justice.
It also bars the use of thugs, vigilantes or any other such group for the purpose of taking possession of a landed property in order to execute a court judgement.
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...what do think about this Bill?
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