Jigawa Court Convicts Nine Herders Over Destruction of N700m Farm Produce
By: Ahmed Aminu, Dutse
Jigawa State Farmers-Herders Special Court, sitting in Dutse, has convicted nine herders and sentenced them to prison terms for offences bordering on destruction of farmlands and breach of public peace.
The herders were found guilty on multiple counts under relevant provisions of the Penal Code Laws of Jigawa State, following a case instituted in 2023 by the Commissioner of Police.
The the defendants were charged with offences including conspiracy, mischief by fire, damage to farm produce, and disturbance of public peace, contrary to Sections 97, 362, 332, 114 and 246 of the Penal Code.
The offences were committed at Gayawa, Gurjiya, Kursa and Tukuda forest areas in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area of the state.
Delivering judgment, the presiding Magistrate, Yusuf Rabiu Abubakar, held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
According to the Magistrate, evidence before the court showed that the convicts jointly destroyed farm produce and implements across about 1,500 hectares of farmland, with losses estimated at over N700 million, affecting several farmers in the area.
He noted that the prosecution called 12 witnesses whose testimonies were found credible and convincing, while the defence failed to call any witness or present sufficient evidence to disprove the allegations.
Consequently, the court sentenced each of the nine convicts to one month imprisonment on each count, with an option of a N10,000 fine per count.
In addition, the court ordered the payment of N500 million as compensation to the affected farmers, to be distributed equitably.
The convicts were also directed to jointly pay N500,000 to the complainants and another N500,000 to the Jigawa State Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Engr. Auwalu Garba, as compensation for damage to tractor tyres and a motorcycle during the incident.
Reacting to the judgment, the AFAN chairman expressed satisfaction with the ruling, and urged farmers and herders to remain law abiding and peaceful.
He cautioned against encroachment into grazing routes and forest reserves, and contravening the law under any circumstance.
