For decades, the people of Borno State suffered from poor land administration. Customary land ownership was the prevailing system.

Many persons displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State were left in fresh anguish last week as the state government demolished houses many of them had occupied for over 10 years.

The IDPs thought they had permanently resettled in the properties until the government sent equipment to pull down the houses, citing illegal land ownership and offering no compensation.

The government demolished the houses to expand the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport in Maiduguri, which was recently upgraded by the federal government to offer international flights. The demolition exercise affected more than 100 houses.

The state government accused the owners of trespassing into the airport’s reserved area. It said it had conducted several sensitization campaigns on the land’s status since 2020.

However, the owners said they bought the land from traditional leaders to build the houses. Hadiza Mohammed, an IDP and single mother of three, said she paid three times for the same parcel of land, a half-plot, to Bulama Abu, the traditional ruler of Shuwari 5 Ward in Maiduguri.

She said Mr Abu did not inform them that it was a government-reserved area, arguing that the owners deserved compensation.

Also, Mrs Mohammed said they were not given a “reasonable evacuation time.” They said they received a notice from the Borno State Geographical Information Service only some hours before the exercise began.

How traditional rulers swindled victims

For decades, the people of Borno State suffered from poor land administration. Customary land ownership was the prevailing system until 2019, when Governor Babagana Zulum created the Borno State Geographical Information Services to reform land administration in the state.

So far, the agency’s efforts have been geared toward promoting statutory land ownership and curbing the abuse of land ownership, which the agency said, after a recent flood, was affecting the drainage system and contributing to land-related disputes.

However, the victims of last week’s demolition exercise are not only pained by the lack of recognition of their customary land ownership but also by how traditional rulers allegedly swindled them into believing the land was legitimate.

“The first time, I bought it for N240,000. After some months, some people came and claimed ownership of the land. I went to Bulama, and I also had to settle the issues with N320,000,” Mrs Mohammed said.

She added that she had to settle another claimant to her land through the same traditional ruler.

Mrs Mohammed said her only mistake was trusting her community leaders, who were given their mandate by the same government that demolished her house.

“My children were hawking and pushing wheelbarrows. We used the proceeds of this hard work to buy and build this land. Despite having papers given to us by the Bulama and countersigned by the Lawan, the government refused to listen to us. When I was building this house, nobody told me the land was a government reserve,” Mrs Mohammed, who was displaced from Gamboru Ngala Local Government Area, narrated.

When she spoke with this reporter, she was busy with her children, clearing an uncompleted building where she said a good Samaritan had let them stay for some time.

Her condition was similar to those of many other victims of the demolition. Shaibu Doron Baga, also an IDP, lost his house and other property to the demolition. He was displaced by Boko Haram from Kukawa Local Government Area over a decade ago.

“I came into Maiduguri wearing three-quarter trousers. At that time, I had one plot in Maiduguri because I was rich before the insurgency. I immediately sold the land and started from scratch. But this demolition has set us back now,” Mr Doron Baga said angrily, urging the government to investigate the role of the traditional rulers.

“All my lands affected by this demolition were certified as genuine by the Lawan Ganama Bolori. If the government said the land had been their reserved land, then there must be a communication gap between them and our traditional rulers. We cannot directly buy land from the government, it has to be through our leaders,” he argued.
Traditional rulers speak

Lawan Bolori and Bulama Abu are the traditional rulers accused by the victims of swindling them.

This reporter visited Mr Abu’s residence at Shuwari 4 in Maiduguri on Tuesday evening, but he was told the traditional ruler had travelled.

However, in his response, Mr Bolori did not deny knowing Mr Doron Baga but said he was wrongly accused.

“People have been using this land for over 20 years. The government said they bought the whole land in 1973, and I was appointed Lawan in 2023. If people accuse me of this, they have not done justice to me,” Mr Bolori said. However, when this reporter asked if he was aware it was a government-reserved land, he said he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Borno government responds

Speaking with a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reporter, Liman Mustapha, the general manager of the Borno State Urban Planning Development Board, said there would be no compensation for the owners of the demolished houses because they were occupying government land illegally and had been notified since 2020.

“We have been following up to secure the land and stop illegal occupants from developing the property, but they ignored the notification and continued building.

“The notice has been there for a long time, with a series of sensitisation campaigns through television and radio programmes. We have had the master plan of this area since 1978, targeting 500 metres of space from the airport fence.

“We started with 200 metres, and in the coming weeks, we will be heading for the 500 metres,” Mr Mustapha said.

Also speaking to NAN, Adamu Matunkolo, the acting regional manager of the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport Maiduguri, said the federal government’s upgrading of the airport had become necessary for its expansion.

“As you are aware, the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport has been upgraded by the federal government to begin international operations, and there are requirements we have to meet. If we don’t meet them, the federal government’s target cannot be achieved.

“We sympathise with the people who don’t want to obey this order. We have our plan, and our plan is that the area slated for demolition is a buffer zone,” Mr Matunkolo said.
Public views and legal opinions

The issue has stoked a debate in the state. Many on social media, including prominent Borno indigenes, faulted the government’s handling of the process, considering the socio-economic and security problems in the state due to the Boko Haram insurgency and a recent flood that affected about 40 per cent of the state capital.

Mohammed Jajari, the PDP governorship candidate in the 2023 election, faulted the government’s position and called on the government to apply empathy.

“Just as the government is quick to enforce demolitions, it should also learn to show compassion and empathy towards the people of Borno. Leadership is not just about exercising power but about making decisions that protect and prioritise the well-being of the people,” Mr Jajari said in a statement by his social media handlers, which was confirmed by his spokesperson.

However, some legal experts in separate interviews spoke on the government’s position regarding compensation.

They agreed that since the victims built on government land without approval, they are generally not entitled to compensation. However, if the government initially allowed or overlooked the development occurring on their land, there is room for negotiation or legal redress.

A senior lawyer in the state who asked not to be named for retribution concerns captured the arguments in an elaborate response.

“Under Nigerian land law, a person who builds a house on government land without proper authorisation is generally not entitled to compensation. However, the outcome depends on several factors:

“Nature of the Government Land: If the land is designated for public purposes (e.g., roads, schools, government institutions), the government can reclaim it without compensation.

“If the government acquired the land but remains undeveloped, compensation may be considered under certain conditions.

“A person who unknowingly bought land from an unauthorised seller and built on it may seek compensation from the fraudulent seller, but not necessarily from the government.

“A person who occupied government land illegally (without title or approval) has no legal right to compensation.

“Under the Land Use Act, all land is vested in the government, which grants occupancy rights. If a person builds without a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) or formal allocation, the development may be deemed illegal and subject to demolition.

“In some cases, the government may offer ex gratia compensation (as a goodwill gesture) or relocation assistance, particularly if the eviction affects many people.

“Some states have regularisation programmes, allowing illegal occupants to apply for proper land titles.

“Under the Land Use Act, compensation is only payable for “unexhausted improvements” (such as buildings, crops, or fixtures) on acquired land, not for the land itself when the government takes it for public use.

“Thus, if a house is built on government land without approval, the owner is generally not entitled to compensation. However, if the government initially allowed or overlooked the development, there is room for negotiation or legal redress,” the Maiduguri-based lawyer said.