Source: The National

A NATIONAL court judge has cautioned landowners to be wary of land hijacking.

Stephen Oli highlighted this during a court user forum in Kokopo last Friday.

He said with due respect, the Special Agriculture Business Leases (SABL) were a hotspot for corruption.

Oli explained: “Having been involved in the awareness of the new Reformed Land Act, you maybe real landowners talking but how do you go about your registration of land? You forget that there are some people listening outside too and these are the ones who gather around quick and get to the forum of the registration process through the Lands Department and register their incorporated land groups (ILG), which was originally yours.

“Then they orchestrate an engineer and developer to go onto the land and that is the first time you become aware.”

Oli, who currently handles civil cases at the Kokopo National Court, said many such cases came before the National Court were a problem, so he urged landowners to be careful where they discussed their land issues.

He said the government was on a drive now to register customary land under ILGs.

“You will have an equivalent title, similar to the State lease but is a perpetual title issued under the ILG and that is the title that will stay. All business will be worked under it and you will only have lease arrangement with the developer.”

Oli said the land reform committee had changed the nature of land registration or land act to give power to landowners.