Farmers Protest Takeover Of Lands By Kano Govt

The organised union of farm owners in Dansoshiya Forest and its environs has appealed to the Kano State government to intervene in the attempt by the state’s commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr Danjuma Mahmud, to takeover their farms.

They made the call at a peaceful protest they staged on Friday urging government’s intervention to protect their rights and restore peace.

The community, through their spokesman, Muhammad Abdullahi, stressed that their presence in the forest has significantly reduced threats from robbers and kidnappers.

“In my position as the PRO, representing owners of farmlands within and around Dansoshiya, we are calling on the Kano State government to call the state’s commissioner for agriculture to order.

“We have written to the Kano State government to draw its attention concerning the issue of insecurity associated with the Dansoshiya area where robbers and kidnappers were hiding. They were terrorising the region before, especially in places like Kiru, Bebeji, Tudunwada, Madobi, Karaye and Rogo.

“It was as a result of this that security agencies advised the government to utilise the Dansoshiya Forest because of the situation of the place. The government then invited farmers and made farmlands of the entire area.

“As a result of this, the place is now fully utilised and made inaccessible to the robbers and kidnappers.” he stated.

He added that they even have a court order restraining the ministry from taking over their farms.

They therefore called on the state government to reconsider their decision by protecting their interest and allowing them to continue using their farmlands, a refusal of which they said would affect the wellbeing of the people and the economic status of the place.

Reacting, the director, Public Enlightenment of the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Abba Dinki, stated that the lands at Dansoshiya Forest are grazing lands meant for herders.

He explained that the lands were wrongly acquired by the residents there and the government is working to recover the land and develop the grazing field to reduce farmer-herder crises.

“What they are claiming is not true. The lands in question are lands provided by government as grazing lands.

“As time goes on, the place was gradually taken over by the farmers who have turned the place into their farmlands.

“With the advent of this government, the idea of recovering those grazing lands became necessary. The government intends to recover the place, develop them into proper grazing places for cattle grazing.

“This is with the good intention of resolving the problem of farmers-herders’ crises in the state,” he stated.

On whether the ministry is aware of the court order restricting them from acquiring the farmlands at Dansoshiya, the director explained that they were not aware of any court order.

“We have not received any court order restricting the ministry of agriculture from turning the place into a grazing facility,” he said.