The Imo State Government has intensified its campaign against illegal occupation of public lands, announcing a statewide recovery exercise targeting government-owned properties allegedly acquired, allocated, or occupied unlawfully.
The government warned that all unauthorized structures erected on affected lands would be demolished, while individuals involved in fraudulent land transactions, document forgery, and illegal allocation of government property would face criminal prosecution.
The directive was contained in an official public notice issued by the Office of the Governor and signed by the Special Adviser on Monitoring and Compliance, Nze Chinasa Nwaneri.
According to the government, the exercise is a continuation of earlier public notices aimed at reclaiming public lands and restoring order to land administration across the state.
The affected areas include Redemption Estates 1, 2, 3 and 4 under the Imo Housing Corporation, Area P, Area T, Area K, New Owerri, Alaoma Layout, Paradise Layout, Ottamiri North, Ottamiri South, Naze Industrial Layout, Ogbaku Estate Layout, as well as other designated government-owned layouts across Imo State.
Authorities stated that all illegal structures, fences, and partitions found on the affected properties would be removed without further notice, noting that adequate warnings had already been issued to the public before the commencement of the enforcement exercise.
The government also vowed to prosecute anyone found forging land documents, engaging in illegal land allocations, or fraudulently selling government-owned property, stressing that such acts undermine the integrity of land administration and deprive the state of valuable public assets.
According to the government, the recovery exercise is designed to restore sanity to the state’s land administration system, protect public property, and safeguard the interests of legitimate landowners who acquired their properties through lawful means.
The administration urged residents to verify the status of any government land before carrying out transactions and warned that ignorance of the directive would not exempt offenders from enforcement actions.
The renewed crackdown signals the Imo State Government’s determination to sanitize land administration, curb fraudulent land dealings, and preserve public assets for the benefit of the people.
