The Edo State Government on Thursday said that there is no longer a safe place for land grabbers and brothel operators in the state.
The government also said it uncovered and sealed a brothel inside a primary school in Esan West Local Government Area of the state.
The state coordinator for the Protection of Government Property, Eugene Okolosie, disclosed this at a press conference in Benin City.
Okolosie, while noting that over 150,000 houses in the state are built on government land, declared that over 2,000 plots of land encroached upon have also been recovered.
He then appealed to those who want to acquire landed property to get proper clearance from the Edo Geographic Information Service.
According to him, it was to ensure that residents avoided falling victims to the criminal activities of land grabbers in the state.
He said, “A lot of government properties have been encroached upon. Seven per cent of our moat has been taken over, and the most affected is our public schools.
“In Ambrose Alli University alone, we have recovered plots of land from land grabbers.
“The community came to inform us that land grabbers forged their signatures, and we moved into action and recovered about 90 percent of the land back, including lands belonging to schools.
“Also, in Ujuele Primary School, they built a brothel inside the school, and we have sealed the brothel, and some of these properties will be converted, as we are presently discussing this peculiar issue with the governor.
“In Iyoba, the community on their own shared the school land into two and sold half to individuals.
“A kitchen was carved out next to a classroom. How will students learn with the aroma of stew getting into the classroom? That again is being investigated, and those suspected to be involved have been invited.”
Okolosie revealed that the agency has received over 3,000 petitions from communities regarding illegal acquisition of government property in the last two months and vowed to recover them
He commended the Governor of the State, Monday Okpebholo, for the provision of legal counsel to the agency to see to it that offenders were prosecuted.