PREMIUM TIMES
Ilyasu Umar’s farmland in Adudu, Nasarawa State, served his family for generations until he was evicted from it in 2021.
Adudu is located in Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa, an agrarian northern Nigerian state with lots of mineral deposits. However, the exploitation of the minerals is turning into woes for the local farming population. The lush green landscape of the area, once devoted to agriculture, is now being devoured by mining operations.
Mr Umar, whose 30 hectares of farmland was taken, is in despair like many other farmers who have accused community leaders of supporting mine operators to take their farmlands without compensation.
“This land belonged to my family for almost four generations. I cultivated maize, cassava and sesame and got bountiful harvests in years past. I remember the farming season of 2018 when I harvested over 1000 kilogrammes of maize from that same piece of land,” Mr Umar told PREMIUM TIMES.
“When the miners started coming into the community, it was a cause for concern for me and the other farmers. The sarkin (chief) has taken all the land from us and said we should not complain about it,” he said.
Some other villagers corroborated Mr Umar’s account of the land takeover. They narrated how mine operators allegedly induced the community’s chief into taking land from farmers and handing it over to the mining firms.
His farmland seized, Mr Umar now works as a driver, moving local goods to neighbouring towns.
“I had to immediately take up work as a driver to support my family. It’s a completely different line of work, and the income is not as steady as when I was a farmer,” he said with a hint of nostalgia.
“While many other farmers who were displaced have relocated to nearby villages in search of new farming opportunities, I find myself unable to do the same at the moment because of my family.”
Apart from being displaced from their farms, the farmers also said they received no compensation from the mining company.
“We, the farmers, have never received payment or compensation from the mining operations in this community. And we do not have the power to do anything about the situation,” Mr Umar said
“We hope the government and the people in authority will hear about our plight and address it…
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