By Mohammad Ibrahim
KADUNA (Nigeria) – Rector of Kaduna Polytechnic, Northwest Nigeria, Muhammad -B- Ibrahim has frown at encroachment into College of Administrative Studies and Social Science (CASSS) property its host Community.
He therefore urged Nigerian government to intervene by stopping the community from such action.
Addressing journalists, Mohammad said the land belonged to the institute since 1976 when it was bought by the then Northern region government.
He said the original land owners were duly compensated for the 1000 hectres of land by the government.
” We paid for the land and we got our certificate of occupancy. It was about 1000 hectre of land, but the Gbagi community now began to encroach into the land inch by inch which is unfortunate. The matter was taken to court but late Patrick Yakowa the then state governor intervened and asked us to settle the issue out of court with the community.
” When I came into the office we demacated our land from the already encroached land but now as I speak to you some miscreants have continued encroaching into the land. It was really unfortunate for some few individuals to be doing this dispute the fact that the land belonged to a federal establishment,” he said.
The Rector further threatened to hold the traditional ruler of the community, Sa Gbagyi responsible for any breach of law and order in the community, saying he should call his people to order.
Earlier, the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) through their National Public Relations Officer, Abdulmajeed Oladimeji Oyeniyi gave the Gbagyi Community 14 days ultimatum to stop encroaching into the land.
He said failure to do so the entire students will act in order to secure the land for the institution.
” We are calling on President Jonathan, together with the Inspector-General of Police, Minister of education, the state government, Sa Gbagyi and others to stop the encroachment on the land,” he said.
According to him, the attitude of few people holding the polytechnic community to ransom was wrong.
The students said out of the four Campuses of Kadpoly scattered across the metropolis, it’s only the campus at Sabon Tasha, Bye-Pass that have been witnessing such encroachment by the host community.