Three persons were confirmed injured when farmers and herders clashed around Baranda forest in Kiyawa Local Government Area of Jigawa, the state Police Command confirmed on Thursday.
“We received the information about the incident on Tuesday, at about 2:15 pm,” DSP Lawal Shiisu, the Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO), said in a statement.
“On receipt of the report, the Divisional Police Officer of Kiyawa Division, alongside his patrol team, rushed to the scene.
The team included Kiyawa Local Government officials, Chairmen of Kautal Hore and Miyetti Allah, Association of Farmers of Nigeria (AFAN), and Village Heads of the four affected communities.
“While dialogue was ongoing among the critical stakeholders, the Police team seized the opportunity to identify three injured victims and rescued six others who were about to be attacked,” he said.
The PPRO added that the victims were rushed to the hospital where they were treated and discharged.
According to him, no arrest was made in connection with the incident in order to avoid further chaos.
Shiisu, however, said that two of the leaders of the herders were identified and would be invited by the Police.
He said preliminary investigation had revealed that the herders acted on a misleading information which suggested that the state government had revoked farmlands within the forest reserve that were allocated for farming activities.
The PPRO stated that normalcy had been restored in the affected villages, while patrol had been intensified to avert further breach of peace.
NAN recalls that on May 27, five farmers were injured in a similar incident at Hayin Kogi forest in Birnin-Kudu Local Government Area. (NAN)
By Muhammad Nasir Bashir
