Members of the Doko Progressive Forum of Lavun Local Government Area of Niger State have appealed to Governor Mohammed Umar Bago to, as a matter of urgency, wade into the lingering land crisis in the community.
The forum, in a statement signed by its president, Colonel Jiya Mahmud Liman (retd), and made available to newsmen in Minna, the state capital, urged the state government to act fast by calling parties involved in the conflict to order for sustainable peace in the land.
The forum also called for a speedy delivery of judgement in all pending matters before the state judiciary, adding that the dispute has crippled the economic activities of the people in the community.
According to the statement: “The dethronement of the then Etsu Dazhi Doko (village head of Doko) Alhaji Muhammadu Gana Kpanje in 2013 and the newly appointed late Alhaji Muhammadu Santali Dazhi kept the crisis deteriorating.
“Due to the crisis, the majority of farmers could not go to their farms, hence the need for urgent palliatives for about two thousand households to avoid impending hunger in the area.”
“The forum has made several reconciliatory efforts to end the long dispute between the two different communities, including the Etsu Nupe and Chairman, Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, to no avail.”
They sadly added that on November 15, 2023, another crisis erupted between the two factions, where one person was killed and some people were injured, with properties destroyed.
Forum urges Gov Bago to wade into lingering crisis in Niger community