Seun Shotunde, Abeokuta
Nigerian Institution of Surveyors(NIS) Ogun State Charpter, yesterday called on the state government to prosecute land grabbers in accordance with the provision of the anti-grabbing law and other extant laws in the state.
The Chairman of NIS, Surv. Abiodun Liadi disclosed this shortly after a walk by members across major streets in Abeokuta to mark 2026 Global Surveyors’ Day, with the theme: ” Surveyors Challenges In Multi-Sectoral Growth”.
Liadi, who raised alarm over series of attacks on members by land grabbers in the state in the course of discharging their professional duties, said that it was high time the government acted in line with the laws and began prosecution of land grabbers in the state.
He cited instances where members were being attacked and taken to the police station for performing their profession, expressing regret that some of the members sustained life-threatening injuries from certain the attacks.
“There are challenges even from people around, you know you go to measure a particular land and you meet with a lot of miscreants surrounding you asking you to pay some money them before you carry out the survey that you are employed to survey and with this challenges I think it is time government come in to prosecute them.”
“The issue of prosecuting the land grabbers can go a long way. If you can persecute one or two land grabbers the others will withdraw and go back to their shell, one they see others have been prosecuted. I think that is one of the ways government can be of help to the challenges of our members.”
“There are many cases of land grabbers attacks I cannot begin to mention one after the other and there are cases in which surveyors also have been taken to the police station together with the land grabbers but because there is cordial relationships between the NIS and the Nigerian Police we are able to resolve these issues.” he noted.
The Chairman also decried the that activities of quackery in the profession, stressing that part of the reasons members embarked on the walk was to create awareness about quackery and reduce public engagement with non-professionals for better surveying of their lands.
“The most important thing is to inform the public, when you inform the public and they know who the genuine surveyors it means the activities of Quackery will be reduced to the barest minimum and also this awareness is part of way to reduce quackery.” added.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Private Practicing Surveyors in the state, Surv. Samuel Adekoya, appealed to the government to do everything possible with its power and laws to get rid of land grabbing activities in the state.
“If you called them land grabbers they are group of people that did not own the land but wanted to take advantage of it maybe because they are influential or has money, they come to land and forcefully take it so they are rogues, they are disruption the peaceful co-existence, so we are appealing to the government that anything they can do within the context of the law to get rid of them, it should do.” he noted.
