The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria chapter, have staged a peaceful protest against the plan by the Kaduna State government to confiscate a piece of land belonging to the College of Agriculture and Animal Sciences.

 The protesters drove from Zaria to the college to stage the protest, calling on Governor Nasir El-Rufai to desist from grabbing the land.

According to the protesters, the land belonged to the university, which was a legacy of Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto.

 The placards carried by ASUU members during the protest had various inscriptions such as “ABU Mando Land is Sardauna’s legacy”, “El-Rufai is an enemy of public education”, “El-Rufai, stay away from A.B.U. land”, “Stop encroaching our land, “We hate land grabbers like El-Rufai”, and “ABU Mando Land not for sale” among others.

 Addressing newsmen at the venue of the protest, the Chairman of ASUU, ABU chapter, Comrade Haruna Muhammed Jibril said the land in dispute covers 196.258 hectares.

He lamented the destruction of the wall surrounding the land housing the college, thereby making the area more porous and putting the lives of the students in danger.

 He also called on the Senate of ABU to formally withdraw the degree certificates awarded El-Rufai as his many actions were in contravention of the requirements in character and learning deemed worthy of the ABU degree award.