Nasarawa community, Bingham varsity locked in tussle over land

Bingham University and its host community, Kutapeh, are allegedly locked in accusations and counter accusations over 500 hectares of land.

 The parties are pointing accusing fingers at each other over alleged land grab and encroachment.

The private university, established by Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA), said it acquired the land in 2003, the registrar, Mr. Sonni Saji Sule, told newsmen that the management had the Certificate of Occupancy as far back as 2005.

He said part of the land (220 hectares) was donated to the university by the late Etsu Karu, a paramount ruler, while another portion running into 280 hectares was acquired by the university with due compensation to the inhabitants of Kutapeh along Abuja-Keffi Road in Nasarawa State.

But members of the community had recently risen with claims that the university management grabbed its land and refused to pay compensations.

The district head, Sabo Senu, told newsmen that the said portions of the land were taken without the community’s consent because he claimed there was no compensation paid to any community member.

The district head claimed that the first portion of 220 hectares was taken from them with promises for compensation through admission of their children as well as junior category jobs for community members.

“But nothing has come to us. They don’t admit our children in the university. They don’t employ our people”, the traditional ruler said.

He also claimed that the extra 280 hectares was an encroachment because the community never sold any land to the university. He said there was no compensation of any kind.

The university management, on its side, is claiming it got its land through due process, claiming further that community members have encroached into it.The registrar said that some persons, including a big time farmer, have encroached on the land in three different places, with claims that they purchased their land from community members.

He said a group of 10 community members have already gone to court against them (Bingham) with claims that the university is sitting on its land, while another group wrote the university, asking them to vacate the place.

“There is yet another encroachment on another part. But we are telling all of them that if they bought land from anybody, it was fraud because it is our land, and we are fully titled”, Mr. Sule said.

He said the university has already sent all claims by the community and other persons to their lawyers to study and advise them, accordingly, on what action they should take.