The Borno State Government has launched a comprehensive Land Documentation and Sensitisation Outreach to encourage landholders across the state to obtain valid Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) and other essential land documents.
The initiative, spearheaded by the Borno Geographic Information Service (BOGIS), commenced at BOTP 72 Layout along Pompomari Bypass, Maiduguri, as part of ongoing efforts to ensure order, transparency, and compliance with land regulations.
Speaking during the flag-off, Engr Adam Bukar Bababe, Executive Secretary of BOGIS, described the exercise as a key step toward sanitising the land sector and safeguarding the rights of genuine property owners.
“This outreach is not just about sensitisation; it is about giving people the right information and access to perfect their property documents,” Bababe said.
He warned that the state government would no longer tolerate illegal structures or unverified land titles, adding that such properties risk outright revocation if not properly documented.
Bababe urged residents to ensure that their land titles are genuine and bear their correct names, noting that multiple undocumented property transfers have caused frequent ownership disputes and losses.
“In many cases, the original allottees sold to one person, who sold to another, and so on—yet legally, the land still belongs to the original allottee because those subsequent transactions were never perfected,” he explained.
On the recent Airport Buffer Zone demolition, Bababe clarified that the affected structures encroached on government land and were mostly acquired illegally through private land vendors.
He said the government would identify, mark, and categorise all houses in the area.
According to him, properties on Bulama Adam’s land would be properly subdivided and documented, while those built on government land would attract penalties before being regularised. However, structures encroaching on airport land will be removed.
Also speaking, the General Manager of the Borno State Urban Planning and Development Board (BUPDB), Liman Gana Mustapha, reaffirmed the board’s commitment to enforcing urban development laws, stressing that illegal constructions along drainages, road corridors, and buffer zones will no longer be condoned.
He urged residents to always obtain proper development permits before embarking on any construction to avoid demolition or penalties.
Musa Bulama, who gave an overview of the project, said the documentation drive would be extended to other communities across the state to ensure wider participation.
In his remarks, the Ward Head, Bulama Ali Umar, commended the outreach and pledged to mobilise residents to participate actively.
Residents, including Ambassador Maina Mustapha, lauded the government’s initiative but appealed for flexible payment options to ease the process of securing land titles.
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