By: Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse
Twelve people have been injured following a violent clash between herders and farmers in Zarga village, Taura Local Government Area of Jigawa State, after an alleged encroachment on farmland late Tuesday night.
Eye witnesses account who gave his name as Malam Lawan Dan Asabe said the confrontation began when suspected herders led their animals into a beans and sorghum farm, destroying crops and sparking a heated dispute. The situation quickly escalated into violence, with the attackers reportedly using bows and arrows.
An eyewitness, Malam Lawan Dan Asabe, said trouble started when the farmers confronted the encroaching herders.
“As we approached them and asked them to move their animals, they began shooting arrows at us. Many were hit in different parts of their bodies,” he said.
He added that 12 injured victims are currently receiving treatment at Ringim General Hospital, while one critically injured person—hit in the neck—has been referred to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital.
Confirming the incident, Taura Local Government Chairman, Hon. Shuaibu Hambali, said the violence erupted after a teenage farmer was allegedly shot while resisting the trespass.According to him, farmers mobilised to the scene to rescue the victim and identify the attackers, but the situation degenerated into a full-blown clash.
“Upon their arrival, the herders used bows and arrows and attacked them, injuring at least 12 farmers from Zarga village,” Hambali said.
He added that the victims are receiving treatment across different hospitals depending on the severity of their injuries.
The council chairman also disclosed that police operatives arrived at the scene and arrested one suspect from the herders’ community. Efforts to reach the state police spokesperson, DSP Lawan Adam, were unsuccessful as of press time.The latest incident comes just days after a similar clash in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area left six people injured, underscoring escalating tensions linked to farmers-herders conflicts across Jigawa.
Experts say the crisis is fuelled by pressures from climate change, desertification, shrinking grazing areas, and increasing competition over land and water resources—factors that continue to push pastoralists into farmlands and trigger recurrent, often deadly clashes.
