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The Edo State Government has sealed off a brothel that was illegally constructed within the premises of Ujuele Primary School in Esan West Local Government Area. The shocking discovery was revealed during a press conference held in Benin City on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
Eugene Okolosie, State Coordinator for the Protection of Government Property, disclosed that the brothel was part of a broader wave of illegal encroachments on public land and school property across the state.
“In Ujuele Primary School, they built a brothel inside the school. We have sealed it, and we’re currently discussing with the governor how best to repurpose such properties,” Okolosie stated.
The coordinator further revealed that the government has so far recovered over 2,000 plots of encroached land and is investigating more cases of land misuse. He also raised concerns about widespread land grabbing in the state, warning that over 150,000 houses have been built on illegally acquired government land.
“A lot of government properties have been encroached upon. Seven percent of our ancient moat has been taken over, and public schools are among the worst hit,” he added.
At Ambrose Alli University, authorities were able to reclaim large swathes of school land that had been fraudulently sold by land grabbers. Okolosie praised the local community for tipping off the government and helping recover around 90% of the encroached property.
The situation is just as troubling in other parts of the state. In Iyoba, for instance, Okolosie said the local community divided a school’s land and sold half to private individuals.
“In one case, a kitchen was built right next to a classroom. How can children learn with the aroma of stew wafting into the classroom? This, too, is under investigation,” he said.
The agency has received over 3,000 petitions in just the past two months from concerned communities about the illegal takeover of government properties. Okolosie assured the public that these lands would be recovered and offenders held accountable.
He also advised anyone interested in acquiring land in Edo State to go through the Edo Geographic Information Service (EDOGIS) to avoid falling victim to fraud and illegal land sales.
