A special farmers-and-herders court in Jigawa has ordered nine cattle herders to pay ₦500 million in compensation after finding them guilty of destroying farmers’ crops.
Judge Yusuf Abubakar handed down the ruling after a trial brought by the Jigawa state commissioner of police.
The judge based the verdict on several sections of the Penal Code, including provisions about property damage and unlawful grazing, and found the defendants guilty “on all counts.”
The court gave the convicts 30 days to file an appeal.
The case grew from attacks in the Kwarsa, Larau and Tukuda forest areas of Birnin Kudu Local Government Area.
The court also found the herders responsible for burning a tractor tyre and a motorcycle belonging to the state chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, and ordered ₦500,000 in additional compensation for that damage.
Prosecutors said the defendants unlawfully allowed their cattle to wander into cultivated farmland, causing “extensive destruction of crops,” an offence under the Penal Code.
The judge also held them responsible for causing bodily harm to some farmers during the incidents.
The ruling highlights ongoing tensions in the area, where clashes over land use and grazing rights have been frequent.
Community leaders have repeatedly called for stronger measures to prevent future attacks and to protect farmers’ livelihoods.
