By Teddy Daniel
The Kaduna State Geographic Information Service, KADGIS, says it has resolved three thousand eight hundred and forty three land disputes in the state through its intervention and dispute resolution mechanisms
Director-General of KADGIS, Dr Bashir Garba Ibrahim, disclosed this at a town hall meeting on the twenty twenty six Land Administration Reforms in Kaduna.
Dr Ibrahim said the intervention had helped resolve disputes that could otherwise have resulted in prolonged litigation and unnecessary cases before anti-graft agencies, particularly the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
He explained that where a matter was essentially a land dispute, KADGIS would facilitate its resolution, while cases involving evidence of financial crimes would be referred to the appropriate law-enforcement agencies for investigation and prosecution.
The KADGIS Director-General also announced measures to strengthen regulation of land agents in the state, saying every registered agent would be issued a unique agent code which would not be transferable.
He stressed that the measure was aimed at improving accountability and ensuring that agents operate in accordance with established regulations.
Dr Ibrahim further said developers would be required to meet stipulated conditions before commencing development, stressing that the agency would continue to enforce the rules governing land administration in the state.
Earlier in his message, the Head of the Land and Property Fraud Section, EFCC Kaduna Zonal Command, Michael Otache, warned that land transactions were increasingly being exploited to facilitate financial crimes, including money laundering.
Otache identified multiple sales of the same property, fraudulent acquisition, sale of land without authority, impersonation of landowners, manipulation of survey plans and alteration of land documents among common forms of land-related fraud.
He also identified emerging digital methods of land fraud, including identity theft, phishing, manipulation of electronic documents, cloned government letters and fake certificates.
The EFCC official said land could be used to conceal, transfer or disguise proceeds of crime, urging prospective buyers and other stakeholders to properly verify ownership, title documents and transaction details before committing funds.
He, however, stressed that genuine contractual or title disputes should not automatically be treated as criminal cases where there was no evidence of fraudulent intent.
One of the participants at the meeting, Engineer Shettima Lawal, said lack of infrastructure and adequate compensation to rightful farmers whose land is acquired are among the challenges facing government layouts in the state, calling for a committee to address the issues.
The Town Hall meeting, themed “Building Strategic Partnerships for Efficient, Transparent and Citizens-Centred Land Administration in Kaduna,” was attended by land agents and developers, professional bodies, traditional rulers and heads of sister agencies, among other stakeholders.
Editing By Yusuf Zubairu
