By Moses Okorie
365Daily – Tumuno community, located along Abuja/Keffi expressway in Karu local government area of Nasarawa State has cried out to the government for rescue as well as approached a Nasarawa State high court sitting in Mararaban Gurku to save them from the activities of suspected land grabbers who are intimidating and demolishing their houses in their ancestral land.
Some of the community members who spoke to newsmen at the court premises said they have lived in that community for over 200 years, but due to the siting of worship centres like Goshen City of Living Faith Church, Redeemed Christians Church of God camp, Deeper Life Bible Church camp, institution like Bingham University, Agric show camp and others, they are now being regularly molested. After hearing the case, the court adjourned to April 17, 2024.
“We are calling the attention of well-meaning individuals, Karu local government council, Nasarawa State government to come to our rescue. How can we be strangers in our ancestral land”, one of the men spoke while shading tears.
“These people have on several times besieged our community with policemen, numbering over 50 and hired thugs that frightened our women out of their farmland and had engaged youths in a fisticuffs”.
Also speaking, Mr. Thomas B. Gambo (Magaji of Tumuna), “I am about 60 years old and I was born in the same Tumuna community. My community has been in existence for over 200 years. Our great-great-grandfathers lived, died and were buried on the land, but for over 19 years now, we are facing these challenges of land grabbers.
“One of us got judgement in his favour at the Court of Appeal Makurdi Division and it was an individual judgement, but that didn’t deter the land grabbers from coming.
“Because of incessant attacks, harassment and demolition of our ancestral homes, we the aggrieved and affected community members of Tumuna had approached the state high court, sitting in Mararaba Guruku and the case was mentioned today, adjoined to April 17, 2024”.
“These land grabbers alleged that our ancestral land and homes are virgin land (belonging to nobody). Imagine in this 21st century. But we can’t fold our hands and watch them take our inheritance because it was given to us by our forefathers who passed it down to our present generation. We are the real owners of the land.
The aggrieved community said during the construction of dual-carriage road from Abuja to Keffi, they were compensated by the government for portion of their land affected by the road, how come now that their land has suddenly become a no-man’s land.