All timber markets in Bauchi State have been closed indefinitely following protests by timber sellers at Muda Lawal market, Bauchi.
The protest, which took place on Monday, was staged by the sellers to express their grievances over what they described as oppression and mistreatment by Bauchi State government officials.
During the peaceful protest within the market, members of the association displayed placards with various inscriptions, voicing their discontent.
Ayuba Abubakar, the chairman of the Hausa section of the Timber Association, alleged that they faced harassment and had to pay hefty fines, claiming that each arrested vehicle incurred a charge of no less than N150,000 for its release.
Abubakar expressed their predicament, stating, “We suffer to get wood from the far East as it is banned in Bauchi state, only to be arrested here. It is only in Bauchi state that we face victimization; we pass through many states without any issues.”
Abubakar said that the members have lost their sources of livelihood due to the activities of the hunters even though they go outside of the state to get the woods.
He added that the association members, totalling over a million across the state, derive their daily livelihood from various markets and, therefore, called upon the State Governor, Bala Mohammed, to swiftly intervene before the situation worsens.
Similarly, Barr Maduabuchi Okonkwo, the chairman of the Timber Sellers Association, Igbo branch, supported the decision to close down the markets, citing the incessant arrests and detentions of vehicles loaded with wood by hunters.
Okonkwo recalled that in the last four months, 14 vehicles loaded with woods had been arrested and detained by the hunters and had to be bailed by the members, a development, he said, is making life very difficult for them considering that they are not making much gains due to the increase in transportation cost.
He revealed that daily losses amount to around N3 million per arrested vehicle, contributing to the financial burden on members of the association.
Okonkwo lamented the contradictory situation where the government banned wood sawing in Bauchi forests, leading them to procure wood from the East, yet, they face arrests and fines upon their return. He urged the government to intervene and halt the constant arrests and detentions of their vehicles loaded with wood.
He said, “The essence of the protest is that, for a long time Bauchi State Government stopped the sawing of wood in Bauchi forests so we decided to be going to the East to buy our wood.
“But when we come back to Bauchi, the same government that stopped us from sawing wood in the state will still stop our wood and be giving us different reasons and asking us different questions.
“And after that, they seize our wood, after seizing our woods, and charge us to court and fine us, that is what we are protesting against. We are not sawing these woods from Bauchi State, we are sawing them from the East and Gmelina (beechwood) tree is not found anywhere in Bauchi state unless in the forest.
“We are getting Gmelina from Benue, Anambra, Kogi States, in fact all over the East but for the North, it is only in Taraba and close to Cameroon, not in Bauchi state. Bauchi State Government has outlawed sawing woods and we have since stopped in order to obey their laws, yet, they are arresting our vehicles with woods.”
Okonkwo pointed out that it’s the Hunters Association responsible for arresting and holding their wood-loaded vehicles, often imposing significant fines undisclosed until the vehicles are released.
“We’ve been pushed to our limits. We can’t take it anymore, we can’t endure it. They need to stop seizing our wood-loaded vehicles, stop holding materials we’ve legally purchased. That’s why all of us are peacefully protesting here in Bauchi,” he stated.
He pleaded with the government to intervene, urging Governor Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir to address the issue. “We aren’t resorting to violence or casting curses. We’re simply appealing to the Governor to instruct the hunters to stop causing us distress.”
He expressed, “Effective immediately, all timber markets in Bauchi state are shut indefinitely. Closing these markets is our way of making our voices heard. We’re closing them until our concerns are heard and addressed. Until then, the markets will remain closed.”
“We’ll manage to eat until the markets reopen. If things worsen, we’ll have to plead to survive. Some of our members are struggling to find meals, but we’re willing to make sacrifices to resolve this issue.”
