Land disputes’ petitions high in Borno – Ombudsman

From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri

The Public Complaints Commission (PCC) also known as the Nigeria’s Federal Ombudsman, said petitions on land matters rank higher among several complaints submitted to the commission by members of the public in Borno State in the last one year.

PCC Federal Commissioner in charge of Borno State, Alhaji Yusuf Adamu, disclosed this in an interview with Daily Sun in Maiduguri, weekend.

“Cases of land disputes or complaints, including multiple and unauthorised purchases are very high. We have a lot of petitions on land cases,” he told the newspaper.

He explained that the commission usually writes the Borno Geographical Information Service (BOGIS) to provide information regarding the landed property that generated the complaint.

Adamu noted that many people in the state often buy land without verifying documents for the property. He urged people to always involve legal practitioners when purchasing land to avoid multiple or illegal transactions.

He also said the commission had addressed many petitions on pensions and gratuity as well as issues of unpaid money by the government or its agencies for works or contracts undertaken by individual or corporate organisations.

The PCC commissioner explained that the commission was charged with the responsibility of resolving complaints by the citizens against the government and ensuring administrative justice through diligent investigations.

He said the commission’s activities had helped in resolving many concerns of the citizens expressed in their complaints which may have resulted in conflict if not addressed.