The Jigawa State Farmers and Herders Special Court has ordered a group of cattle herders to pay N500 million in damages to farmers for the destruction of their crops in the Birnin Kudu Local Government Area.
The judge, Yusuf Abubakar, delivered the judgment on Tuesday, citing Sections 78, 19, and 322 of the Penal Code Law.
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The case, instituted by the Jigawa State Commissioner of Police against Ilu Adamu and eight others, concluded after more than two years of legal proceedings.
The defendants were arraigned on a four-count charge, including acting contrary to Section 97 of the Penal Code by allowing cattle to stray into and destroy cultivated farmlands.
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Under Section 326, they were found liable for burning a tractor tyre and a motorcycle belonging to the Jigawa State Chairperson of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN).
The court also found the defendants guilty of causing bodily harm to farmers, violating Sections 332 and 114 of the Penal Code.
After evaluating the evidence, the judge ordered the convicts to pay N500 million to the affected farmers.
Additionally, he ruled that they must pay N500,000 to the state AFAN Chairperson for the destruction of his property.
The court granted the defendants 30 days to appeal the ruling.
Speaking for the victims, Auwalu Garba described the judgment as a “victory for justice,” urging both herders and farmers to seek peaceful coexistence.
The defence counsel declined to comment on the ruling.
The incidents occurred in the Kwarsa, Larau, and Tukuda forest areas, in the Birnin Kudu Local Government Area, which have been hotspots for farmers and herders’ disputes over the years.
Jigawa has a unique farmers/herders court established for speedy delivery of justice between the farmers and the herders in addressing the delay in traditional courts which often take years to resolve land disputes, leading to “jungle justice” or reprisal attacks.
Judges in the special courts are versed in both the Penal Code and local land-use traditions.
The state has designated grazing reserves and cattle routes (locally known as Burtali).
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However, due to population growth, many of these paths have been illegally converted into farms.
When herders attempt to use these traditional routes, they end up traversing active farmlands, sparking violence.
The conflict between sedentary farmers and migratory or semi-nomadic pastoralists (herders) is rooted in several complex factors – competition for land and water. As climate change leads to desertification in the far north, herders move southward in search of water and pasture.
