One Feared Dead, House Burnt Over Land Dispute In Nasarawa
A protest that broke out over a land dispute belonging to a group of farmers in Kwandere, the home town of governor Umaru Tanko Almakura has claimed one life with several others injured.
A house belonging to the youth leader in the area, Ibrahim Musa was also razed by unknown men alleged to be palace thugs.
It was gathered that the unrest started when some youths who were farmers went berserk over their farm land which they alleged was acquired by the state government without compensation.
A farmer in the area, who pleaded anonymity said some land surveyors from the state ministry of works, housing and urban development stormed their farm land on Wednesday last week asking them to vacate the land to enable the state government build an estate on their farm land.
According to him, the aggrieved farmers in protest stormed the palace of the Emir on Friday to enquire from their traditional ruler if he was aware of the development.
He alleged that upon arrival to the palace of the elder brother to governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, Alhaji Ahmadu Al-Makura, the police personnel attached to the emir opened fire on the protesters, killing one person on the spot.
Speaking on the incident in a telephone interview, the youth leader, Mr. Ibrahim Musa said some irate thugs at the palace invaded his residence at about 1:am on Saturday and set his house ablaze including all his properties.
According to him, the thugs also stole two hand set and made away the sum of N1.2 million from the sale of a piece of land from him after killing a 27year-old man late Husieni Yauhuza that graduated from College of Education Akwanga recently.
He said “the youths stormed my residence and set my house ablaze including all my properties and N1.2 million of a land i sold to someone.”
He pleaded for the intervention of the state government on the crisis before it escalate into another communal clash in the state. Confirming the incident to newsmen in a telephone interview, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Idirisu Kennedy, said the command had already deployed its personnel to the area to avert the breakdown of law and order.
According to him, the command is going to issue a press statement, adding that normalcy had since returned to the area.
