BENIN CITY – The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has continued to receive commendations for signing the bill to repeal the Edo State Private Property Protection Law 2017 and re-enacting the Edo State Private Property Protection Law 2021.
Some groups and civil society organizations who spoke to journalists at the weekend, applauded the governor for the new law, which they said would boost investors’ confidence and bring more development to the state.
Obaseki, while signing the bill into law said “the law affects law and order in the state. With this law, we are not only banning the Community Development Associations (CDAs) but also all sorts of splinter groups like Okaighele or people who come up to forcefully take other people’s landed properties in their communities.”
Reacting on the clampdown, Founder of Edo Progressive Indigenous Association (EPIA), Chief Omogiede Edokpolo noted that “the ousting of the activities of Okhaigeles in Benin kingdom will help fast track development in the State.
“When the Governor put an end to the activities of CDAs, the Okhaigele took over the proscribed CDA’s activities and turned themselves to warlords in their various communities, thereby confiscating landed property belonging to individuals.
“The same duty they were doing as CDAs was what they were also doing as Okhaigeles. At a time when it seemed the Land Grab Act had been abandoned, this amendment surprisingly came on board. With this amendment, both local and international investors in the Diaspora will now have trust in the land act administration of Edo State.”
Also, Leader of Edo Peoples Forum, Osadolor Iyamu, commended the governor for the new law to check the illegal activities of Okhaigheles, adding, “We are grateful to Governor Obaseki for signing the bill to repeal the Edo State Private Property Protection Law 2017 to check the criminal activities of Okaigheles, who have become an embarrassment and a nuisance in the built environment sector in the state.”
