The Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) and the Association of Private Practising Surveyors of Nigeria (APPSN), Lagos State branch have decried police victimisation and harassment on land issues, calling on the Inspector General of Police to stop the practice, especially in civil matters.
They made the appeal during the 2026 World Surveyors’ Day celebration, held at Alausa, Ikeja, themed “Surveyors Challenges in Multi-Sectoral Growth.”
The state’s Vice Chairman of APPSN, Adams Olugbenga, who spoke on the incident, said that the association had discovered that most times when there are issues on land matters, surveyors are always the victims.
He said the association decided to use the 2026 World Surveyors’ Day to carry out an advocacy to the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, on the need to stop the practice.
According to him, police sometimes arrest surveyors, who are supposed to be expert witnesses on land matters, especially those that are civil matters.
“When it is criminalised, surveyors are not always involved in all these criminal activities, hence police arrest surveyors indiscriminately. So, we need to put an end to this by informing the Inspector General of Police how things should be done.
“When surveyors err or go against the laid-down ethics of the profession, they are to be reported to the professional body and the regulatory body for adequate investigation and discipline.
“In criminal cases, it is the duty of the professional body to refer them to the police,” he added.
He also urged the IGP to provide adequate security for surveyors on site in view of the current insecurity challenges, especially kidnapping.
Earlier, Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS), Lagos State branch, Adedeji Olanrewaju, called on professionals in Nigeria to brace up for technological integration, workforce shortages, and regulatory complexities to drive multi-sectoral growth.
Olanrewaju, while delivering his speech at the event, urged practitioners to embrace mentorship, while calling on people to maintain their professional boundaries.
The NIS Chairman, who spoke through the Vice Chairman, Moses Ogundare, highlighted key hurdles faced by surveying professionals, which included tech integration amid costs workforce and skill gaps, regulatory navigation, environmental risks, as well as unsafe working conditions with impact efficiency.
He, however, commended Lagos State Government for the implementation of the land grabbing law in the state, saying that the NIS Lagos branch is committed to working with the current administration to address the issues of quackery.
Also speaking, Chairman of APPSN, Lagos State branch, Olaoluwa Afolabi, implored surveyors to practise ethically and avoid supporting unlicensed operators.
He, therefore, warned residents to desist from patronising quacks.
In his remark at the event, the Acting Surveyor-General of Lagos State, Saliu Odupe, who was represented by an official, Solomon Olufemi, congratulated surveyors in the state, restating the state government’s support to move the profession forward and ensure sustainable growth in the sector.
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