“We compensated all the land owners” – FCE(T) Potiskum dismisses residents’ claims over land dispute
Story from Kasim Isa Muhammad
Amidst growing tension between the residents of Mazaga community in Potiskum Local Government Area of Yobe State and the Federal College of Education (Technical), Potiskum, the institution has come forward to strongly refute allegations of land grabbing and unfair compensation.
Over the past weeks, several individuals claiming to be landowners had publicly accused the college of encroaching on their ancestral lands, paying some as little as ₦3,000 to ₦14,000 for their farmlands and properties, and in some cases, failing to compensate them altogether. The situation, according to community members, had stirred unrest and prompted fears of forced eviction and displacement without justice.
However, in a detailed response made available to our correspondent, the authorities of FCE (T) Potiskum categorically dismissed all such claims, asserting that due process was followed and that every genuine landowner was duly compensated, in some cases with payments running into millions of naira.
Speaking on the issue, Yerima Alhaji Audu, the Head of Physical Planning at the College, provided a comprehensive explanation of the institution’s legal right over the disputed land and the procedures followed in disbursing compensation. According to him, the land in question has been under the college’s ownership for more than three decades.
“The land which is located in the Mazaga area of Potiskum Local Government has been awarded to FCE for the past thirty-three years by the late Governor Bukar Abba Ibrahim,” he stated firmly, seated behind a desk cluttered with maps, files, and official documents relating to the land. “We are not new occupants or encroachers here. We have the documents and everything here with us to show that this land was duly and officially allocated to the Federal College of Education (Technical), Potiskum.
There is absolutely no ambiguity about this. It was not done in secret or through any backdoor channels, it was fully documented and sanctioned at the highest level of state government at that time.”
Yerima further criticised the actions of some individuals who, despite being aware of the land’s official status, continued to farm and build on the property.
“Despite the ownership of the land by the FCE, some individuals still went there and continued farming, erecting structures, and claiming ownership, even while they were fully aware that the land is allocated to us. These are not people who acted in ignorance, they knew the facts, but they chose to ignore them.
While we are aware of this unlawful encroachment, we did not act with hostility. In fact, despite these actions, we still went ahead to compensate all those who owned the lands in the place before and after it was allocated to us,” Yerima explained.
“We are not an institution that disregards human lives or community heritage. We believe in due process and dialogue. That is why, even in cases where individuals had no formal claims or documents, we still considered them for compensation in the spirit of peace and fairness.”
On the process of compensation itself, Yerima Alhaji Audu described an organised and transparent structure that sought to include everyone who had a legitimate claim.
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“We ensured that we compensated everyone. And I mean every single individual who came forward with a legitimate claim. We categorised landowners into distinct groups based on the nature of their holdings, whether farmlands, residential plots, or mixed-use plots, and we compensated them according to what they actually owned. In the first place, we made a public call, inviting all those who claimed to own farmlands within the allocated area to come forward to the Jigawa District for a biometric data capture exercise.
This was fundamental not only for transparency but also for the accuracy of the land size records. Once we completed that exercise, we began the payment process immediately and ensured that each person was paid accordingly.
Where some landowners received millions of naira in compensation, others received thousands, but each one was paid exactly based on the valuation of the land they possessed. Specifically, I can confirm to you that over 800 people were compensated through this exercise.”
Residents, however, had accused the college of paying paltry sums ranging between ₦3,000 and ₦14,000, an allegation Yerima described as misleading and lacking context.
“Yes, there have been cases where people are saying they received as little as ₦3,000 or ₦14,000, but that is not the full picture,” Yerima said, raising a document that showed a breakdown of payments. “At the initial stage, we paid everyone according to the college’s internal valuation based on the biometric and physical data collected.
But after that process, YOGIS, that is the Yobe Geographic Information System, recommended that we added an additional ₦17,000,000 to the compensation pool. This was not because we underpaid anyone but to ensure our figures aligned with the compensation model established by the Yobe State Government.
So, we split that additional ₦17 million among the over 800 verified landowners and paid it again, this time strictly based on the size of their individual land parcels. So, when you see a figure like ₦3,000 or ₦14,000, that is not the total compensation — it is just a part of the additional amount YOGIS recommended we disburse. People are conveniently ignoring the first and major round of compensation.”
Also speaking, the Provost of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Potiskum, Dr. Muhammad Madu Yunusa reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to fairness, transparency, and legal compliance, insisting that the college did not take any action outside the scope of law or policy.
“We did not make the compensation by ourselves,” he said firmly, gesturing toward a pile of government correspondence. “The Yobe State Government was directly involved in the entire process.
Before we even began construction activities on the land that is now meant to house our new permanent site, we ensured that every single individual, every family, every farmer, every plot holder, was compensated fully and fairly. We sat down with the Secretary to the State Government, involved YOGIS, and followed all the recommendations they provided. We acted responsibly. We were not in a hurry.
We took our time and did things properly. People should also understand that this land has been allocated to FCE (Technical) since 1992. That is over three decades ago. We are not just showing up now to take what does not belong to us. We have been here. We have the documents. We followed due process. We compensated everyone.”
It may be recalled that Neptune Prime had earlier reported allegations by some residents who accused the Federal College of Education (Technical) Potiskum of forcefully taking over their ancestral lands without following due process.
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