Kwara sets up committee to reclaim encroached school lands

The Kwara State Government has inaugurated a committee on school land and boundary recovery to reclaim lands belonging to public secondary schools that have been encroached upon across the state.

 

The initiative covers all three senatorial districts and aims to address growing concerns over the illegal occupation of school properties.

 

This was disclosed in a statement issued on Saturday by the Press Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Peter Amogbonjaye.

 

Speaking during the inauguration at the ministry’s headquarters in Ilorin on Friday, the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr Lawal Olohungbebe, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Olanrewaju Rebecca Bake, said the committee was established to tackle widespread encroachment on school lands.

 

“The committee is established to tackle systemic encroachment on secondary school lands by private individuals and organisations, ensuring government schools retain their legally designated spaces for learning and development,” he said.

 

According to the commissioner, the committee will prioritise schools where principals, host communities and Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) have lodged formal complaints about encroachment.

 

He explained that the team would identify and map affected school lands, conduct physical inspections, determine the extent of encroachment and compile documentation required for recovery efforts.

 

The committee will also verify land titles by cross-checking physical boundaries with original survey plans and digital records maintained by the Kwara State Geographical Information Service (KWAGIS).

 

Olohungbebe commended Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for approving the initiative, describing it as a decisive step toward protecting public education assets in the state.

 

The committee has been given six weeks to complete its assignment and submit a final report.

 

Representatives from the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Kwara State Teaching Service Commission, Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board, KWAGIS and the Ministry of Justice attended the inauguration.