Lagos AG and Commissioner for Justice accuses police undermining anti-land-grabbing war

Monday, May 25, 2026 - Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, has faulted the Nigeria Police Force for non-compliance with directives issued by the state government in its fight against land grabbing.

Speaking during the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing last week in Alausa, the Attorney General said enforcement efforts by the state’s Special Taskforce on Land Grabbers had been weakened by police non-compliance and interference from senior federal authorities.

“In several instances, the police have declined to enforce directives issued by the Office of the Attorney General.

“In other cases, enforcement actions initiated either by the Office of the Attorney General or by the State Police Command have been countermanded by superior authorities within the Federal Police hierarchy, thereby undermining the effectiveness of measures aimed at combating land grabbing,” Pedro said.

The remarks offered an unusually direct account of the limitations faced by the Lagos State Government in enforcing its anti-land-grabbing measures despite the existence of a dedicated state task force.

Pedro disclosed that he previously escalated the issue to former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, shortly after he assumed office.

“Shortly after the immediate past Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, assumed office, I personally brought this issue to his attention.

“In my presence, he placed calls on speakerphone to the AIG Alagbon and the AIG Zone 2, directing them to defer to the Attorney General on all matters relating to land grabbing brought before them,” he added.

According to the Attorney General, the intervention initially produced results.

“Following that intervention, there was a period of commendable compliance with the directive,” he said.

But he said the cooperation later collapsed after changes in police leadership.

“Shortly after the replacement of the AIGs, the situation unfortunately reverted to the status quo,” Pedro added.

He said he would seek renewed intervention from the current Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to improve cooperation between the police and the state government.

Pedro, presenting the activities of the Lagos State Special Taskforce on Land Grabbers, an agency established to tackle illegal land occupation and violent property disputes, said the taskforce received 1,628 petitions between May 2023 and April 2026 but concluded only 221 cases during the period.

The Attorney General did not directly address the low resolution rate but linked enforcement difficulties to the lack of sustained police cooperation.

The briefing comes amid continuing debates over state policing and the powers available to subnational governments to enforce law and order within their territories.