By Ismail Auwal
The Kaduna State Government has said that it took over 74 hectares of land belonging to Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) because of “unapproved change of land use and unacceptable violation” of the purpose for which the G-Item (ownership certificate) of the land was originally allocated.
The land was originally assigned to the Northern Veterinary Experimental Station in 1965 and was later taken over by ABU’s College of Agriculture and Animal Science.
The state government accused the university’s administration of illegally subdividing the land, with 81 hectares sold into 900 illegally laid out plots, while 426 plots have either been fully developed or are in various stages of construction.
According to Malam Ismail Umaru Dikko, Director General of Kaduna Urban Planning and Development Authority (KASUPDA), the College of Agriculture and Animal Science had only developed 47 hectares of land for educational purposes and staff housing, with another 34.5 hectares for agriculture, based on G-Item No. 1060.
Dikko said the un-utilised land has constituted a security threat to the entire metropolis, which necessitated the need to introduce mitigating measures such as re-planning the entire land in line with the Urban Renewal Programme and to comply with the reviewed Kaduna Master Plan Law, 2016.
He said in order to avoid instances where more portions of the land are subdivided illegally, the state government had mapped out 74 hectares, which would be developed for residential purposes with facilities such as cemeteries, markets and hospitals.
The KASUPDA DG however said the College of Agriculture and Animal Science will instead be allocated land for agriculture in the Kangimi area of Igabi LGA, earmarked for its animal husbandry.
According to Dikko, ABU had tried to portray the fenced portion of the land as the total extent of the land allocated under G-item 1060 even though satellite images of the site show that the actual land allocated extends beyond the fence.
