Landowners in East Sepik are fuming over a report that close to 117, 000 hectares of their land is being taken over and owned by two Malaysians under a Special Agriculture and Business Lease or SABL, reports NBC news.

Lawyer representing the landowners Herbert Wally of BS Lai Lawyers says that the agreement was signed in Port Moresby without the landowners consent, and they only learnt of it just three weeks ago after sighting documents.

Wally said that the landowners are very frustrated after realizing that the agreement over their land was signed in 2008 with the Secretary for Lands and Physical Planning, and never received any input from them.

He said that this SABL # 144C covers the whole of Turubu LLG starting from Turubu Bay in the Wewak Open Electorate, and will run right through to Urimo and the Sepik Plains in the Sausso LLG of the Yangoru/Saussia Open Electorate.

Wally said that the landowners are claiming that the title over this lease was obtain by misrepresentation and fraudulent means, and breached proper procedures and the cause of natural justice, and must be stopped because they as legitimate landowners will miss out on all benefits.