Date: 2012-03-19

Residents of Atari community in Offa, Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State have appealed to the state House of Assembly to come to their aid in the clarification of the purported letter of land regularisation written by a purported government agency requesting each occupant of the community to pay N150,000 for land regularisation.

The residents, in a 'save our soul' letter which was read on the floor of the House by a member representing Essa/Shawo/Igbodun Constituency of Offa LGA, Hon. Oyeleke Hassan, brought to the notice of the House that copies of a purported letter of land regularisation was on February 6, 2012 distributed to the entire community, requesting them to pay the sum of money each for land regularisation programme.

The community alleged that the letter looked fake and illegal because the letterhead of the Kwara State Bureau of Lands used in writing to the community was in black and white not colour as supposed and that the state government logo was not on the said letterhead paper.

If also alleged, among other things, that the letter was neither sealed nor stamped as supposed but only signed in red ink, and that the letter was signed for the Director General and no individual name was included for contact. 

"In addition, about three signposts were also mounted a month ago at different locations with Atari community despite sighting the signposts, then the distributions of the said letter came up again on February 23, 2012 in which the actual letter was dated February 6, 2012", it added.

The community said that the residents had acquired the land as far back as year 2000 and had erected buildings on the said land.

It said that there was no sign, symbol or publication to confirm that the said land had been acquired by the state government as at January 2012.

Atari community therefore, appealed to the House to urgently intervene on the matter so as not to render them homeless.