Lagos land grabbing fight suffers setbacks as Attorney-General Lawal Pedro accuses police of undermining enforcement efforts

The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, Lawal Pedro, has accused the Nigeria Police Force of undermining the state government’s efforts to combat land grabbing through repeated non-compliance with official directives.

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Speaking during the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing in Alausa last week, Pedro said enforcement operations carried out by the Lagos State Special Taskforce on Land Grabbers had been significantly weakened by police interference and counter-orders from senior federal authorities.

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

“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.”

The remarks offered a rare and pointed insight into the difficulties faced by the Lagos State Government in enforcing anti-land-grabbing laws despite establishing a dedicated task force to address illegal land occupation and violent property disputes.

Pedro disclosed that shortly after former Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun assumed office, he personally escalated the issue to him in an attempt to improve cooperation between the police and the state government.

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

“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.”

According to the Attorney-General, the intervention initially led to improved collaboration between the police and the state authorities.

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

However, Pedro said the cooperation later deteriorated following changes in police leadership.

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

The Attorney-General disclosed that he intends to seek renewed intervention from the current Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to restore stronger operational cooperation.

Presenting the activities of the Lagos State Special Taskforce on Land Grabbers, Pedro revealed that the agency received 1,628 petitions between May 2023 and April 2026 but resolved only 221 cases during the period.

Although the Attorney-General did not directly explain the low resolution rate, he linked the enforcement challenges largely to the absence of sustained police support.

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The development comes amid growing national conversations over state policing, constitutional powers and the extent of authority available to subnational governments in maintaining law and order within their territories.