Most house owners of demolished Lagos buildings are unlawful occupiers – Common Nigerian influencer

Common Nigerian influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, higher often called Verydarkblackman, has sparked controversy by asserting that many of the property house owners whose buildings had been demolished in Lagos are unlawful occupants who didn’t confirm the legitimacy of their land purchases.

This comes within the wake of latest demolitions in Lagos.

A viral video circulating on social media reveals a lady lamenting the demolition discover served on her property in Lagos State allegedly simply two months after transferring in.

Within the video that surfaced on-line on Monday, the yet-to-be-identified lady cried as she recounted the ordeal.

An image of a demolition discover dated Could 7, 2024, was additionally connected to the video.

She stated, “We purchased that property in February, and we’ve solely been there for 2 months. All of the arduous work, all of the sleepless nights, the whole lot… When you’re in Lagos, you’ll understand how a lot property in Eti Osa prices.”

Nonetheless, Otse questioned the legality of many actual property transactions within the state.

“Most of all these folks complaining that the federal government has come to demolish their constructing, who offered the land for you? Did you confirm the land?” Verydarkblackman requested.

Drawing from private expertise, the influencer expressed empathy for these impacted by the demolitions.

“I understand how she feels. That’s the way it occurred to us in 2006. My mom had simply gone to work, our home was demolished, and after it was demolished, it began raining, and we had been exterior with nowhere to go, so I can relate with what they’re going by means of,” he stated.

Nonetheless, Otse pressured the significance of due diligence in land acquisitions.

“The reality is that almost all of you don’t confirm lands, and actual property individuals are keen on gathering folks’s cash with faux lands, faux papers, and pretend paperwork,” he stated.

In response to him, obtainable land is scarce in Lagos, notably on the island. Verydarkblackman additional suggested potential patrons to train warning and completely vet any potential purchases.

“Lagos is small, and it’s very arduous to see free land in Lagos, particularly on the Island. Go and test the plan of a state before you purchase land. Go and confirm,” he added.

Whereas empathising with the plight of these affected, the influencer additionally referred to as on the federal government to think about offering compensation or subsidised land options to those that could have been misled by unscrupulous actual property brokers.

“To the federal government, even when this land they purchased is illegitimate, a minimum of there needs to be a type of compensation to those folks. Not less than, the federal government can discover land someplace and subsidise the value of the land,” Verydarkblackman stated in pidgin.

Earlier in March, the controversial social media critic was arrested and after 5 days, he regained his freedom from police custody in Abuja.

Verydarkblackman’s launch was confirmed by lawyer, Deji Adeyanju.

“After 5 days of backwards and forwards, now we have secured VDM’s launch. Thanks to everybody who made this occur particularly Sowore, Kefiano & VDM’s fantastic attorneys,” Adeyanju posted on X then.