Terna Chikpa, Jalingo
Five communities in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State on Friday protested the alleged land grabbing by a former senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, from Borno State, Senator Sanusi Dagash.
Mallam Idris Adamu, leader of the protesters alleged that Senator Dagash has seized over 5000 hectares of land belonging to Wurbo, Kwatantaru, Sendirde Natride and DINYAWO Communities of Gassol local government.
According to Mallam Adamu, history has it that the former Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Dr Shuaibu Bukar, during a visit to the site of Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority (UBRBDA) in 1984, requested for a portion of land in Gassol and the late Emir of Muri, Umaru Abba Tukur granted the request.
Adamu claimed that 200 hectares of land was allocated to the former minister by the late village head of Serdinde on the directive of the former district head of Gassol.
According to the protesting communities leader, after the death of the former Minister, his family sold the said land to Senator Sanusi Dagash, who is a former Senator from Borno State.
“After the death of the former Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Dr Shuaibu Bukar, his family sold the said land to Senator Sanusi Dagash who is a former Senator from Borno State. Dagash secretly obtained a Certificate of Occupancy on the land without the knowledge and consent of the real owners, claiming 5,000 hectares against 200 hectares granted to the late Minister.
“The affected communities had petitioned the matter to former Governor Darius Ishaku who after thorough investigation, ordered the revocation of the land. After the revocation, Dagash in company of his wife, went and pleaded with Ishaku to give him a little portion of the land for his farming business and the former governor obliged and directed the Surveyor General of the state to allocate a portion of land to the former senator within the cycle of 200 hectares.
“We are surprise that senator Dagash has gone to court seeking the reinstatement of 5,000 hectares of land to him after former governor Darius Ishaku has left the office.
“We appealed to governor Agbu Kefas to properly study the history of the land and intervene in the matter with the view to claiming back the land to the Communities.
“The affected communities are completely agrarians, and do not have any land to fall back to, if the land is forcefully seized away from them as targeted.
However, when contacted, Alhaji Idris Chiroma, the Emir of Gassol, promised to be impartial in the matter, considering the fact that he is a father to the parties involved.
Chiroma who spoke to newsmen through Alhaji Usman Umar, Secretary of the Gassol traditional Council, appealed to the agitators to remain calm since the matter is still in court.
