By Abba Anwar
Fifty years of litigation, mistrust, protests and painful loss came to an end yesterday as the Kano State Government formally resolved the protracted land dispute between Bayero University Kano and the people of Rimin Zakara, Rijiyar Zaki and adjoining communities.
At a historic meeting attended by government officials, university authorities, traditional rulers and community representatives, Governor Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf declared the crisis over and unveiled a settlement built on “… justice with compassion” that protects both institutional development and innocent families.”
Commissioner for Public Procurement, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation, Nura Iro Ma’aji, represented the Governor, Commissioner for Land and Physical Planning, Abdujjabbar Muhammad Umar was there, Prof Ahmad Muhammad Tsauri, represented the Vice Chancellor of BUK and the people of Rimin Zakara, were led to the venue by Alhaji Baba Habu.
The exceptional effort is a clear testimony that Governor Yusuf’s administration is a peace-loving one which chooses resolution over confrontation.
Just as he said, the settlement reflects the core philosophy of his administration, in an effort to confront inherited problems, restore institutions, protect ordinary citizens and deliver practical solutions to a lingering crisis. Which sometime in the past claimed innocent lives.
“We are not here to recount the history of Rimin Zakara. We are here to close it. For almost half a century, this crisis survived successive administrations. When we assumed office, we made a simple commitment that we would not run away from difficult problems simply because they were inherited,” he emphasized.
The Commissioner for Land and Physical Planning, Umar, explained that a High-Level Committee was constituted after violent confrontations in early 2025 made it clear the dispute had become “… a serious issue of justice, public security, institutional development and community stability.”
He hinted that, after verifying more than 6,000 claims, examining historical records and conducting surveys, the Executive Council approved a settlement guided by one principle, that is to protect BUK, compensate genuine victims, restore peace and bring the dispute permanently to an end.
Under the informed terms of peace, it was positioned that, it would be land for BUK, plots and compensation for the People. An excellent crisis resolution strategy, commended by all and sundry.
The agreement made sure that BUK is protected. Where more than 85 per cent of Bayero University Kano’s landholding is preserved for future academic, research, residential and infrastructural development. The University made a significant sacrifice by accepting the excision of portions of land originally reserved for expansion.
Agreement further paved the way for community resettlement. Where residential plots have been reserved and allocated to verified beneficiaries in the approved Rimin Zakara/Rijiyar Zaki and Jajira/Garun-Iya schemes.
Part of the agreement maintains that compensation should be ongoing. As monetary compensation for eligible claims and structures is being processed by the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning. The government has committed Billions of Naira for compensation, resettlement, planning, surveying and infrastructure.
Governor Yusuf warned henceforth that the decision to compensate was humanitarian, not a validation of illegal sales. “Thousands of people bought land in good faith from persons who had no lawful authority to sell it. Many invested their life savings. The strict application of the law without regard to these circumstances could throw thousands of families into a catastrophic situation.”
Only a government with a human face can think this way. Or similarly. This good work on compassionate ground means a lot for electoral victory, come 2027. In fact some of the people who made speeches from the part of the community leaders, made it very clear that, their votes and those they control, would be in favour of Governor Yusuf. This was said without any hesitation, whatsoever.
What is worth celebrating in the resolution of Governor Yusuf’s 50-year BUK-Rimin Zakara land dispute is that while Kano State has resolved its land dispute, several other states continue to grapple with age-long land conflicts that have lasted five decades and more without final resolution. This speaks volumes about the Governor’s capacity, clean mind and strong political will in serving his people.
For example in Cross River/Ebonyi there is the Adadama vs Amaegwu dispute. It is a story of a farmland dispute dating back to 1960. In April 2025, the crisis claimed 11 lives and displaced over 2,000 people. Despite a 2024 communique by both state governments, violence has continued. Which shows how strong Kano’s strategy is.
In Ebonyi–Ezza vs Ezillo/Iyionu, it is a land dispute over 50 years old, with a major serious clash in 2008 that displaced communities for 18 years. In March 2026, displaced persons petitioned Gov. Nwifuru for resettlement. Clashes and abductions were still reported in 2024. These are the kind of scenarios Kano’s current administration averted. Kudos Mr Governor!
The Ogun/Oyo–Odeda boundary dispute that was rooted in colonial 1926 boundaries. In May 2025, the Ogun State House of Assembly again urged the National Boundary Commission to urgently delineate the border after allegations of forceful land acquisition and tampering with boundary pillars. Serious clashes were witnessed which caused some losses. In Kano, under Governor Yusuf, a similar ugly situation has been averted.
While Imo–Mgbirichi/Abakuru vs 34 Artillery Brigade caused serious misunderstanding, where land acquired in 1977/78 is the causative agent. Communities protested in 2024 over alleged encroachment “up to backyards of houses.” A Defence Headquarters delegation visited in 2024 for dialogue, but the dispute remains unresolved. Kano’s Model is therefore one of the best in the country.
Kano’s settlement therefore stands out as one of the few instances where a decades-old land crisis has been decisively closed through compensation, resettlement and legal backing. A vote of confidence and thanks is naturally directed at Commissioner Umar.
His genuine commitment and political will as copied from the Governor, gave him all the necessary guts and straightforwardness in mending the torn parts of Rimin Zakara and its surroundings, as related to BUK, as an institution.
To unveil some of the commendable strategic points to the gathering, the Commissioner added that the government would reissue compensation cards directly to verified beneficiaries and that anyone who exploited the process badly would face legal action. Compassion not weakness indeed.
The resolution followed a lawful process that was backed by Law and enforced for development. The settlement is reinforced by the judgment of High Court No. 11 in Suit No. K/M1638/2026 delivered on 18th August 2026, which declared the acquisition lawful and directed the government to compensate verified claims. What the state is currently doing is just that.
Part of the resolution process suggests that with effect from 31st August 2026, all land within BUK’s demarcated boundaries would be protected exclusively for the university. Government infrastructure corridors will also be secured. The Governor warned that “Our compassion must never be mistaken for weakness.” And that obstruction or fresh encroachment would be met with firm enforcement.
In what I termed as from crisis to progress: the bigger vision, it is noteworthy to know that the Governor linked the resolution to his administration’s wider development agenda, emphasizing that peace is the foundation for progress.
Touching other areas he acknowledged that “… In Education, we declared a State of Emergency. In Health, we introduced free caesarean-section services. In Water, we approved ₦21.89 billion for Challawa and Tamburawa plants. In Agriculture, we gave ₦1 billion in free fertilizer to 52,800 farmers. In Roads, we are rehabilitating 17 metropolitan roads.”
While he further elaborated that “This is the same spirit in which we approached BUK–Rimin Zakara. We are rebuilding confidence in government’s capacity to solve difficult problems,” he then commended BUK’s Vice-Chancellor, Governing Council and management for their “… patience, maturity and genuine commitment to peace… ” and urged Rimin Zakara, Rijiyar Zaki communities, traditional and religious leaders to safeguard the agreement.
The Governor who was represented by the Commissioner for Public Procurement, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation, Ma’aji,, got a standing ovation when he said, “Today, by the grace of Almighty Allah, a crisis of five decades has ended. Now is the time to move from crisis to development, and from dispute to progress.”
With this all-encompassing peace deal of 50 years long, there are attendant benefits attached to it.
The resolution will definitely yield security and stability. While ending the decades of confrontation, litigation and community tension, peace will now reign in the community and other surrounding communities. This is peace at work.
As a cool way for institutional growth, BUK can now proceed with lecture theatres, laboratories, hospitals and hostels without encumbrances. Resolution gives peace a chance. Corridors for shelter and livelihood now come to the fore. Thousands of families who bought land in good faith now have legal plots and a path to compensation.
Through the Commissioner for Land, Umar, the thrust of urban planning strategy can now proceed without any hindrance from these communities. The era of proper layouts, roads and infrastructure without illegal sub-division, that remained elusive for decades, is now in place. And indeed investor confidence is restored. Where a clear legal boundary restores confidence in land administration and public institutions in Kano. Well done the people’s Governor.
Both BUK and Rimin Zakara representatives, Prof Tsauni and Habu, commended the effort of the Commissioner for Land, Umar, in his unrelenting efforts during the crisis and during the resolution exercises. Assuring that the Commissioner got the courage as a result of the goodwill spirit he got from the Governor. Letters of Grant were distributed to the members of the communities affected. As compensation and other verifications are on top gear.
Anwar writes from Kano
Tuesday, 1st September, 2026