Legal Department

LEGAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT Legal Services Department of Kano State Bureau for Land management was created in 2017, the Department is responsible for handling all legal issues in relation to the day to day activities of the Bureau. The Major tasks of the department are issuing legal advice needed by the bureau in its day to day activities. Representing the Bureau in litigations before all counts of law in Nigeria and overseeing preparations of any agreement, contract or memorandum of understanding that may arise from the Bureau’s operations. The main focus of the department is ensuring legal protection to the Bureau in its operations and ensuring compliance with all laws and regulations in the cause of service delivery by the Bureau.

FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITY OF LEGAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT

1. Ensuing compliance with all laws and regulations in the Bureau’s operations.
2. Issuing legal advice to the Bureau’s departments in particular and the Bureau administrations in general.
3. Handling correspondences forwarded by lawyers on inquires that affects the law.
4. Representing the Bureau when sued before any court of law.
5. Liaising with Kano State Ministry of Justice for laws and regulations that may be needed by the bureau through enactment of new laws or amendment of existing ones for the smooth operations of the Bureau.
6. Requesting legal representation by the Ministry of Justice in some cases involving the Bureau.
7. Providing arbitration and dispute resolutions to mitigate institution of cases in court against the Bureau.
8. Settlement of Land related disputes via alternative means of dispute resolution by way of mediation between title owners to avoid litigations.
9. Recovering of arrears of ground rent by way of demand notice or institution of legal action in the revenue courts against defaulters.
10. Liaising with Ministry of Justice in obtaining consent to assign or mortgage property.
11. Liaising with Ministry of Justice for drafting of agreement for contracts as may be requires by physical planning department of the Bureau.
12. Aiding and facilitating the processing and registration of the followings:-
- Deed of assignment
- Deed of lease
- Deed of mortgage
- Deed of surrender and release
- Deed of gift and devolution, merger and subdivision.

13. Facilitating the attendance and giving expert evidence by the Bureau’s professional staff, such as surveyors, land officers, values e.t.c
14. Any legal work that may be assign to the Department

STRUCTURE AND DUTIES OF THE DEPARTMENT

In the light of the above mentioned functions of the legal department, there is the need to identify and assign responsibilities to all the staff in the department. As stated earlier, been a new department, we have four Staff as follows:-

1. Director
2. Deputy Director
3. Chief State Counsel
4. Senior Data Processing Assistant

The functions mentioned above are being carried out as follows:-

FUNCTION AND RESPONSIBULITIES OF THE DIRECTOR

1. Ensure compliance with legal requirement in the Bureau’s day to day activities.
2. Accepting all mails and court processes serviced on the Bureau and quick response to the documents in compliance with the law, by assignment it to the staff in the department.
3. Undertake good planning and feasibility studies for the development of a viable legal department to safeguard and protect the Bureau in the discharge of its duties.
4. Attendance of all court cases filed by or against the Bureau.
5. General administration and supervision of the department.
6. Any incidental work assigned by the permanent secretary.