Kaduna Polytechnic Rector, Engineer Muhaammad Ibrahim, has raised an alarm over the encroachment on the institution’s land situated in Gbagyi Villa under Chikun Local Government Area of the state. The land, he said, was being encroached upon by residents of the community even as he vowed to protect the land.

The Rector took time to explain the polytechnic’s position on the land, which he said they legally purchased in 1975. “The institution duly paid compensation to the land owners before the land was transferred to it in 1976-77,” Engineer Ibrahim said.

News Express had earlier reported that members of the community last week protested against the State Government’s plan to demolish houses situated on the land. About 3,000 houses were marked for demolition by the State Government.

The Rector told newsmen at a news briefing on the issue that the total land belonging to the institution is over 1,000 hectares. He vowed that KadPoly will recover its total land encroached by the community through legal means.

Said Engineer Ibrahim: “When the land was acquired a total of 168,169.00 naira was paid as compensation in 1976-1977 to 158 people living there at that time. We paid compensation to all economic trees and farm land before taken over the land.

“I think we started receiving reports of encroachment on the lands in 2009 and we reported the issue to police, DSS and the State Government before we resorted to taking the issue to court.

“We took the ownership of the land after due process. We have all facts and documents to show that the land legally belongs to us. The question here is, did we get the land legally? Yes. Was compensation paid? Yes. Was the land encroached? Yes. So all we are asking is justice because the land is ours.

“We just want the world to know that our land is being encroached right before our eyes despite late Ibrahim Yakowa’s intervention when he was the governor of the state. I remember that the late governor intervened and we had an out-of-court settlement with the community in which a white paper was released with a condition that there should be no further encroachment from both parties.

“As I’m talking to you now the land has been encroached by some people in the community. We just want our land back because we have all documents and facts to claim the land.”

The Rector appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene so as to protect the land from the community. “My appeal is for the President to intervene on this issue because we are a peace loving people and will want to continue living with the communities around us peacefully. But I will do everything possible within the law to protect the land,” he said.

•Photo shows KadPoly Rector, Engr. Muhaammad Ibrahim.