This article outlines some key elements of a human-rights based approach to the compulsory acquisition of land. It shows that the compulsory acquisition of land often proceeds rapidly where the political, economic and legal power of those affected directly is weakest. While expropriation should be a powerful and beneficial tool for disadvantaged people, they are in fact often its victims.

The market value is of central importance as the basis for determining the compensation paid to landowners who are forced to hand over land for public use. This is particularly the case in Sweden, where the market value is determined according to the Expropriation Act. It is against this background that this article discusses the following questions.

Compulsory acquisition (or "expropriation") is when a government uses it power to acquire private rights in land without the owner's or occupant's consent. The process is intended to benefit society and is frequently used to enhance social and economic development and to protect the natural environment.

Oil and gas production processes place huge demands on land resources, land administration and land management in different parts of the world. In Nigeria, the transportation of oil and gas, their by-products and refined products is conducted through complicated pipeline networks traversing thousands of kilometres and criss-crossing several communities in the Niger Delta region.

In the last year, Special Economic Zones (SEZs) were a much discussed issue. Most of the discussion focused on two issues, viz. (a) the acquisition of land, rehabilitation, the consequences for farmers and agricultural output, and (b) the cost of the various tax benefits provided to developers of SEZs and the units to be located in them. While these are important issues, they address only the cost aspect of the equation. Taking another path, this paper tries to determine the expected benefits from SEZs and whether they are being achieved.