The owners of the structures were said to be building on government property and other places without approval from the requisite regulatory authorities.
17 people were arrested at a construction site located at the old Legislative Quarters along Bauchi Ring Road in Jos, when taskforce officials led by the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Joshua Ubandoma; Commissioner for Information, Musa Ashoms; and General Manager, Jos Metropolitan Development Board, Hart Bankat, stormed the site on Monday
Ubandoma told reporters that the exercise was part of the ministries and agency’s routine surveillance aimed at restoring sanity in the state capital and other places covered by the Jos master plan.
Ubandoma said, “We have given notices that all those in possession of government properties should return them. We have also warned all those erecting illegal structures in the state to desist from such practices because we want to ensure that sanity is restored in the state.
“The standard practice is that whenever you want to start a building, an approval has to be given after you must have obtained your appropriate titles from the Ministry of Lands and Survey. Unfortunately, this is not being done by some people. Nobody is above the law. So, all these people who are bent on going against the law will face the full wrath of the law.”
The Commissioner for Information added, “As a government, we are here to maintain law and order. We are not here to witch-hunt anybody because we don’t even know the property owners, but the laws of the land must be followed. Every property owner in Plateau State must abide by the law.”
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