Jigawa court orders nine herders to pay N500m for crop destruction
A Jigawa State farmers and herders special court has ordered nine cattle herders to pay N500 million in compensation to farmers whose crops were destroyed in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area.
The judgment was delivered on Tuesday by Yusuf Abubakar, who relied on relevant provisions of the Penal Code, including Sections 78, 19 and 322.
The case, instituted by the Jigawa State Commissioner of Police, was filed against Ilu Adamu and eight other defendants after more than two years of legal proceedings.
According to Premium Times, the defendants faced four charges, including unlawfully allowing their cattle to stray into cultivated farmlands, resulting in widespread crop destruction, an offence contrary to Section 97 of the Penal Code.
In his ruling, the judge also held the herders liable for the destruction of property belonging to the state chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN). The court found that they set ablaze a tractor tyre and a motorcycle owned by the AFAN chairperson, an offence punishable under Section 326 of the Penal Code, and ordered them to pay N500,000 as compensation.
Abubakar further ruled that the defendants inflicted bodily harm on some farmers during the incidents, in violation of Sections 332 and 114 of the Penal Code.
After considering the evidence presented by the prosecution, the court found the herders guilty on all counts. It consequently ordered them to pay N500 million in damages to the affected farmers and granted them 30 days to appeal the judgment.
The incidents that led to the trial occurred in the Kwarsa, Larau and Tukuda forest areas of Birnin Kudu LGA, communities that have experienced repeated clashes between farmers and herders over land use and grazing rights.
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