Brick factory ownership ignites tension between community and UniJos

The ownership of a brick factory by University of Jos has created tension between the institution and its host community following an attempt by the university and the Nigeria Police in Plateau State to demolish alleged encroaching structures.

The Naraguta community told Daily Trust that the property was recently purchased by the university from the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) which collected the land from three communities of Hausa, Anaguta and Fulani in the 1970s.

The Sarkin Naraguta, Eng Mohammed Bello Ahmed, said an attempt by the police and the university to demolish buildings last Friday almost led to crisis as youths in the area resisted and chased out the security agents.

Ahmed said before the purchase, the community had raised some grievances with the university which BPE promised to mediate in order to ensure that past conditions were kept.

“Since 1977 the bricks factory collected land and paid compensation but the agreement was to allow the people farm on the condition that they would not erect structures or plant economic trees,” he said, adding that the university had agreed to look into some of their grievances but that despite agreeing in principle to halt all things until clarifications were made, the university with police cover had gone there for demolishing without prior warning or involving community leaders.