By Ayuba Tambaya
In the verdant heart of Southern Kaduna, where the soil whispers promises of bountiful harvests, a shadow looms large over Koro land. For generations, the resilient farmers of Kagarko Local Government Area (LGA) have tilled the earth, nurturing maize, ginger, yam, and millet to feed their families and communities. But today, this age-old rhythm of life is being shattered by relentless invasions from Fulani herdsmen, whose cattle trample and devour entire farmlands, leaving behind a trail of devastation, despair, and deepening poverty. The people of Koro – from villages like Aribi, Kenyi, Kutaho, Kabara, Kushe, Dogonkurmi, Katugal, Nkojo, and Kurmin Jibrin – cry out: enough is enough!
The crisis has reached a boiling point. Just days ago, on October 6, 2025, hundreds of farmers – predominantly women, but joined by men and children – marched barefoot to the palace of their traditional ruler, His Highness Yohanna Akaito, the Ere-Koro, in Kurmin Jibrin. Draped in black mourning attire, their faces smeared with charcoal in symbols of grief and humiliation, they carried leaves in their mouths and atop their heads as emblems of lost livelihoods. This was no ordinary protest; it was a visceral plea from a community on the brink.
These brave souls, many now widows and orphans due to machete-wielding attacks by the invaders, detailed harrowing tales: herdsmen grazing thousands of cattle unchecked across ripening fields, destroying crops worth millions of naira, and assaulting anyone daring to intervene. One farmer’s voice, echoing the collective anguish, captured the horror: “Our farms are our only hope, yet they turn to dust before our eyes.”
This is not an isolated incident but a chronic affliction plaguing Southern Kaduna. Research underscores the broader toll of farmer-Fulani herdsmen clashes on the region’s socio-economic fabric, with escalating violence driven by climate pressures, land scarcity, and unchecked migration patterns.
In nearby Kaura LGA, farmers reported losses in the millions just last year from similar rampages Across Nigeria’s Middle Belt, these conflicts have claimed thousands of lives over decades, displacing families and threatening food security.
In Koro land, the stakes are existential: without intervention, famine looms, children go hungry, and communal bonds fray under the weight of resentment and fear.
The human cost is immeasurable. Women, who form the backbone of Koro’s agricultural labor, bear the brunt – widowed by violence, bereft of income, and robbed of dignity. Children, meant to inherit thriving farmlands, instead witness their parents’ despair. The local economy, already strained, teeters on collapse as farmers abandon fields, fearing for their lives. This is not mere “clash” rhetoric; it is systematic destruction, enabled by inaction.
To the Kagarko LGA Government: You are the first line of defense. Deploy immediate patrols to secure farmlands, enforce anti-open grazing bylaws, and mediate fair compensation for destroyed yields. Establish community vigilance committees equipped with non-lethal tools to deter invasions without escalating tensions. Your silence emboldens the aggressors – act with the urgency your people demand!
To the Kaduna State Government: Southern Kaduna bleeds under your watch. Revive and fund grazing reserves far from arable zones, as recommended in conflict resolution studies. Invest in irrigation and alternative livelihoods for herders to reduce migratory pressures. Prosecute attacks swiftly through mobile courts, and integrate traditional rulers like the Ere-Koro into peace dialogues. The march to the palace was a warning; heed it before protests turn to unrest.
And to the Federal Government of Nigeria: This is a national emergency, not a local squabble. Under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, fulfill promises of ranching initiatives and deploy federal security forces – from the Nigeria Police to the Civil Defence Corps – to Kagarko without delay. Amend the grazing laws to prioritize farmers’ rights while protecting herders’ heritage. Allocate emergency funds for crop replanting and trauma counseling. Nigeria’s unity hangs by a thread in places like Koro; your decisive leadership can weave it stronger.
The protesters vowed to return if ignored – a testament to their resolve, but a tragic indicator of eroded trust. Climate change and population growth exacerbate these clashes, but governance failures ignite them.
Let October 6 mark a turning point, not another forgotten lament. Governments at all levels: hear the barefoot march, see the blackened faces, and act. Secure Koro’s farms today, or risk harvesting a bitter legacy of division tomorrow. The people of Koro land – and Nigeria – deserve no less.
Ayuba Tambaya writes from Kabara, Koro Chiefdom, Kaduna State.
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