The Borno government has reaffirmed its commitment to enforce urban development laws.

The executive secretary of the Borno Geographic Information Service, Adam Bababe, announced this at the launch of a statewide land documentation and sensitisation exercise to ensure property owners obtain valid certificates of occupancy and other essential land documents.

Mr Bababe described the initiative as a crucial step towards sanitising the land sector and safeguarding the rights of genuine landholders.

He advised residents to always obtain proper development permits before embarking on any construction. The exercise, at the ‘BOTP’ 72 Layout along Pompomari Bypass in Maiduguri. It is aimed at promoting transparency, order, and compliance with land regulations across the state.

“This outreach is not just about sensitisation; it is about giving people the right information and access to perfect their property documents,” Mr Bababe said.

He warned that the government would not tolerate illegal structures or unverified land titles, adding that such property risks outright revocation.

Mr Bababe advised residents of the state to ensure that their land titles are genuine and bear their correct names, noting that many property disputes arise from sales and transfers conducted without proper documentation.

“In many cases, the original allottees sell their plots to, let us say, Mr A, who later sells it to Mr B, then to Mr C. Let’s say Mr C dies and the property is now in the hands of his children, who sell the same to someone else. I tell you legally, the land still belongs to the original allottee because the subsequent transactions were never perfected through proper documentation,” he said.

On the recent Airport Buffer Zone demolition, Mr Bababe said that the affected structures had encroached on government land. He added that the government would identify and mark houses within the area for proper categorisation.

”Structures encroaching on airport land will be removed,” he said.

Also speaking, the general manager of the Borno State Urban Planning and Development Board, Liman Mustapha, warned that illegal constructions on drainage systems, road corridors, and buffer zones would no longer be condoned. He urged residents to obtain proper development permits before embarking on any construction.

The ward head of the area, Bulama Umar, commended the government for the initiative and pledged to mobilise the community to participate actively in the exercise.

Other residents, including Maina Mustapha, commended the government’s effort but appealed for flexible payment options to ease the process of securing land titles.

(NAN)