University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) Vice Chancellor Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem has lamented the destruction of the institution’s multi-million naira research and training farms by cattle.
Also destroyed are sundry economic trees’ plantations.
This is coming almost a year after the university issued a quit notice to herdsmen who settled on the land.
The school, on April 26, 2017, gave the Fulani herdsmen a seven-day ultimatum to quit. But they did not comply.
A security meeting with the leaders of the 11 Fulani settlements was held. The meeting was attended by representatives of law enforcement agencies. Abdulkareem ordered the illegal settlers, who had begun building permanent structures, to vacate the land.
On May 11, 2017, 28 persons, comprising Fulani herdsmen, Yoruba and Hausa farmers, were sued at an Ilorin Chief Magistrate’s Court for allegedly trespassing on the university’s land, destroying the school’s plantation and perpetrating other unauthorised activities.
They were accused of poisoning the school dam with chemicals and illegal felling of economic trees.
At last Thursday’s meeting, the Vice Chancellor told the Fulani settlers that “enough is enough”, stressing that the university could no longer condone the destructive activities of their cattle.
He said: “This is becoming too costly for the institution to bear. We have a multi-million naira programme that is currently at stake now because the herdsmen have gone to the extent of uprooting cassava for their cattle to feed on.”
Abdulkareem explained that the meeting was to agree on a specific time frame for the herdsmen and other illegal settlers to vacate the land.
“And once we agree, they cannot spend one day after that on our land,” he added.
The Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Usman Adamu, said the herdsmen destroying the university farm were not living in the community. He noted that there were other ethnic groups embarking on illegal activities, such as logging, but were not differentiated from the Fulani.
Adamu stressed that the Fulani had been living peacefully in the environment and had even helped in checking crime, such as kidnapping and robbery, which hitherto occurred on the campus.
The herdsmen appealed for time and pledged to come up with a response by February 22.
Representatives of security agencies stressed that drastic measures will be taken to ensure that the university’s investments remain secured.
