Court directs herders to pay ₦500m compensation for destroyed farmlands in Jigawa

A special farmers and herders court in Jigawa State has ordered nine cattle herders to pay a total of ₦500 million in compensation to farmers whose crops were destroyed in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area.

The ruling was delivered on Tuesday by Yusuf Abubakar, who anchored the judgment on relevant provisions of the Penal Code, including Sections 78, 19, and 322. The court held that the herders were responsible for the damage caused to farmlands belonging to affected farmers in the area.

The case was filed by the Jigawa state commissioner of police against Ilu Adamu and eight other defendants and followed more than two years of legal proceedings.

According to Premium Times, the accused persons were charged with four offences, among them unlawfully permitting their cattle to wander into cultivated farmlands, leading to extensive destruction of crops, contrary to section 97 of the penal code.

In his verdict, the judge also held the defendants responsible for the destruction of property belonging to the state chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN).

The court found that the herders burned 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 caused bodily harm to some farmers during the incidents, an act which violated sections 332 and 114 of the penal code.

After reviewing the evidence presented by the prosecution, the court found the herders guilty on all counts.

Consequently, the court ordered the convicts to pay N500 million in damages to the affected farmers and granted them 30 days to file an appeal against the judgment.

The incidents that led to the trial occurred in the Kwarsa, Larau and Tukuda forest areas of Birnin Kudu LGA.

The communities have witnessed recurring clashes between farmers and herders over land use and grazing rights.