By Callistus Agwaza in Jalingo
Six communities in Gasol Local Government Area of Taraba State, have protested against land grabbing by Sanusi Dagash a former senator from Borno state.
The communities include Kwantan-Taru, Natirde, Dinyawo, Wuro, Kiyari and Sendirde.
Dagash represented Borno north senatorial district as senator in 2003.
The communities are accusing him of grabbing 5,000 hectares of their ancestral hand.
Addressing journalists after a peaceful protest by residents of the affected communities, spokesperson of the community, Idris Adamu, also accused the chief of Gasol, Alhaji Idi Chiroma of conniving with Dagash to grab the land.
Adams said Dagash claimed to have obtained certificate of occupancy (C of O) from the Taraba state government without the knowledge and and consent of the original owners of the land as well as the community leaders.
Adam said, “This land belongs to the peasant farmers of Kwatan-Taru, Natirde, Dinyawo, Wurbo, Kyari and Sindride, whose forefathers have been farming on for hundred of years.
“For record purposes, we are told that when federal government cited Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority in Gasol district of Gasol local government area far back 1976, the then minister of “Agriculture and Water resources, late Dr. Bukar Shuaibu, who came on a visit to the site in Gasol in 1984 solicited for a portion of land for himself.
“Our late Emir of Muri graciously directed the then district head of Gasol to allocate a parcel of land to Shuaibu.
“The district head further directed the village head of Sendirde to allocate a parcel of land near the Upper Benue River Basin to Shuaibu which then covered 200 hectares.”
According to Adam, “After the death of Dr. Bukar, his family later sold the 200 hectares of land to Senator Dagash, all these were done without the knowledge and consent of the original owners of the land.
“The said land became a subject of controversy and litigation between Taraba state government, some elders of Gasol Community and Sen. Dagash over ownership of and the number of hectares of the land until in 2023 when former Governor Darius Ishaku revoked the CofO of the land.
“We reliably understand that after the revocation, Dagash and his wife met with Governor Ishaku and pleaded for portion of land to be given to him for personal farming.
“The governor directed the surveyor general of the state to allocate only 200 hectares of land to Dagash which was done.
“It is surprising that after Darius left office, Dagash went to Jalingo High Court to reverse the initial revocation by Ishaku while he claimed 5,000 hectares of our ancestral land”.
Also commenting on the issue, another community leader Alhaji Mai Riga alleged that Dagash connived with the Chief of Gassol to take over their ancestral lands through the back door.
He warned that the communities will resist the attempt with the last drop of their blood.
“These people you see here depend on this land for survival. We don’t have government jobs. We are peasant farmers and this is our ancestral lands.
“If you take the land from us, how do you expect us to survive? That will be creating a security situation that will further worsen the situation here”, Mai Riga said.
He called on the Taraba state governor, Agbu Kefas to urgently intervene in the matter before things get out of hand.
The chief of Gasol, Idi Chiroma, who is being accused of conniving with Dagash, has however, denied involvement in the matter.
The secretary of the Gasol traditional council, Usman Umar who addressed journalists on behalf of the chief said, the matter is in court and appealed for calm.
“As a traditional father, I appeal to the protesters to remain calm and be law abiding, as there are rooms for dialogue that could lead to the amicable resolution of the land matter”, he said.
