Governor Emmanuel Adil speaks at Juba County Headquarters. (Photo: Office of Juba Commissioner).

The governor of Central Equatoria State has directed chiefs and the Commissioner of Juba County to survey and register all lands around Juba to stop land grabbers.

Emmanuel Adil Anthony’s statement comes amid reports of increased illegal land allotment and distribution around Juba by unauthorized individuals.

He spoke during an occasion to inspect the construction of Juba County’s Headquarters on Monday.

According to governor Adil, the high rate of land-grabbing around Juba is due to the lack of proper planning and distribution of land.

Adil also attributed the land-grabbing cases to what he describes as rapidly growing population in the city.

“The lands around Juba must be surveyed and registered, so, this is a solution for us before the land grabbers reach it,” he said.

“Yes, we have police, but sometimes when the police arrive, you will find someone has already installed a “Rakoba”. So, we need to survey and register these lands.”

Governor Adil said the survey and registration of lands should be done through payams directors and the Commissioner.

Last year, the governor Adil gave landowners a year’s ultimatum to build their unused plots or lose ownership.

The order came after he discovered that some individuals acquired more than 10 plots that were not developed in and around Juba City, and other towns of the state.