LEGAL PRINCIPLE: LAND LAW — Time Limit for Claiming Compensation for Compulsorily Acquired Land Principle Statement
PRINCIPLE STATEMENT
Claims for compensation in respect of compulsorily acquired land must be made within twelve months from the publication of the acquisition notice in the Gazette, failing which no public officer or court shall entertain such claim.
RATIO DECIDENDI (SOURCE)
Per Ogundare, J.S.C., in Adesina & Ors v. Kola & Ors (1993) NLC-751987(SC) at pp. 17–18; Paras D–E:
"Subject to the provisions of section 20, no claim to any estate, interest or right in or to any lands in respect of which a notice has been served and published in the Gazette in accordance with section 9, or to any compensation or rent in respect of any such estate, interest or right, made after the expiration of twelve months from the publication of the notice, shall be entertained by any public officer whose duty it is to receive such claim or by any court."
EXPLANATION / SCOPE
This principle establishes a strict statutory limitation period for compensation claims arising from land acquisition. The twelve-month period runs from Gazette publication, providing certainty and finality to acquisition proceedings. The limitation is absolute, binding both administrative bodies and courts, subject only to exceptions in section 20 of the governing legislation. The principle serves multiple policy objectives: expediting acquisition processes, preventing stale claims, encouraging prompt assertion of rights, and enabling government to complete acquisition procedures within reasonable timeframes. Claimants who fail to act within the stipulated period are completely barred from relief.