The Borno State Government has issued a stern warning to property owners across the state, urging them to update their Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-O) and other land-related documents or risk demolition of their structures.
This directive was given on Monday during a community sensitisation campaign on land documentation and compliance, held at the Pompommari Bypass area of Maiduguri.
The sensitisation exercise, organised by the Borno State Geographic Information Service (BOGIS) in collaboration with the Urban Planning and Regional Development Board, was attended by government officials, urban planners, and community leaders.
Addressing residents, the General Manager of the Urban Planning and Regional Development Board, Liman Mustapha, emphasised the importance of legal land ownership and proper documentation. He disclosed that many properties across the state were found to have outdated or invalid land papers, which are not registered in the current owner’s name.
“If a land was granted for residential purposes and you now use it for something else without approval, it violates the law. Once such violations are found, if correction isn’t possible, the affected structures will be pulled down,” Mustapha warned.
He added that the exercise aims to educate residents on the need to obtain proper authorisation and ensure land use aligns with what was originally approved.
Also speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of BOGIS, Adam Bababe, raised concerns over increasing cases of unregulated land transfers without proper documentation.
“We have seen cases where the original owner sold the land to another person, who sold it again, and after several transfers, the current occupants are not legally recognised. They must update their documents to avoid losing the property,” Bababe said.
He advised property owners to visit the appropriate government offices to verify the status of their land documents and initiate the process of regularisation, stressing that ignorance of the law would not be an excuse.
The sensitisation campaign is part of a broader government effort to ensure orderly urban development and curb illegal land use across the state.
