University wants FG to ban herdsmen from school premises

The management of the University of Abuja and the Ministry Federal Capital Territory have set up a committee to stop herdsmen from invading the University environment.

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Michael Adikwu disclosed this in an interview with Punch Correspondent on Monday, July 17.

The ban according to Punch was a reaction to students complaints and worries about activities of herdsmen around their campus and hostels.

According to the Vice Chancellor, the university is proposing to meet the herdsmen to avoid the students’ residential areas while the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory is planning to relocate the herdsmen to four grazing locations made available for them by the Ministry.

He said, “as far as herdsmen are concerned, it is a very difficult thing. What we have done is to write to the security agencies to come and help us. We went to the Gwagwalada Local Government Area and we were told that the herdsmen were brought here because they had communal clashes with natives in other areas.

“I have mentioned this issue to the FCT minister and we have a committee working on it. The minister has also said there is a place called Pai where they will eventually take the herdsmen to. He said there were four grazing sites where the herdsmen would be taken to. So, we are hopeful about the relocation. I also mentioned this issue to the present governing council to stimulate the government so that the herdsmen can be removed from our campus.

“I personally will call the head of the herdsmen and talk to them. Even if they want to use our campus, they should move far away from the students’ areas.”

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Meanwhile, in April, the students had complained to the FCT Minister, Mohammad Bello that the herdsmen constituted a security risk, saying they were no longer comfortable with herdsmen on the campus.