By Rabiu Sanusi
The Kano State Government has commenced the physical demarcation of land belonging to Bayero University Kano (BUK) affected by the longstanding Rimin Zakara land dispute, signalling a new phase in the implementation of the settlement reached after decades of controversy.
The exercise is being coordinated by the Kano State Ministry of Land and Physical Planning in collaboration with the management of BUK and representatives of the Rimin Zakara community, following the completion of compensation and resettlement arrangements for verified beneficiaries.
Leading officials to the affected area on Thursday, the Commissioner for Land and Physical Planning, Abduljabbar Muhammad Umar, supervised the identification and marking of BUK’s boundaries as part of efforts to recover, secure and protect the university’s land from further encroachment.
Umar disclosed that the demarcation would be followed by the clearance and demolition of illegal structures erected on land belonging to the university.
He added that arrangements would subsequently be made for the construction of a perimeter wall to secure the institution’s boundaries and prevent future encroachment.
The latest development follows the resolution of the nearly 50-year-old dispute between BUK and the Rimin Zakara community through a compensation and resettlement programme initiated by the Kano State Government. Under the settlement, more than 6,000 claims and interests were identified and processed.
The government said the arrangement preserved more than 85 per cent of BUK’s landholding for its present and future academic, research, residential and infrastructural needs, while verified beneficiaries affected by the settlement were provided with alternative residential plots and compensation where applicable.
The commissioner said the intervention was designed to achieve a lasting solution that would protect the legitimate interests of BUK while ensuring that innocent residents who acquired land in good faith were treated fairly under the settlement arrangement.
He, however, issued a strong warning to land-grabbing syndicates and their collaborators, directing them to desist from unauthorised occupation, subdivision, allocation or sale of land belonging to the university or the Kano State Government.
Umar stressed that the compensation exercise should not be misconstrued as recognition of illegal private transactions, warning that anyone who attempts to reoccupy, develop, subdivide or sell protected BUK or government land would face the full force of the law.
He also commended BUK management, traditional rulers and community leaders for their cooperation in resolving the dispute.
Representing the BUK management, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics, Professor Ahmad Muhammad Tsauni, commended the state government for its intervention and welcomed the demarcation and clearance exercise.
He said the university maintained a cordial relationship with Rimin Zakara, noting that many residents work at BUK and that members of the community had benefited from scholarships and other educational opportunities.
He expressed readiness for continued cooperation among BUK, the government and the community, while urging residents to respect the newly established boundaries as the university moves towards securing its land and preventing a recurrence of the decades-long dispute.