RansackingtheDeploredRikudaForestReserve,KatsinaState

Goodevening,ChiefPrefect,KatsinaState,

Acoupleofweeksback,IwasopportunetopassthroughKadandaniforest

reserveinRimiandKurayedistricts,KatsinaStateduringanEnvironmental

ImpactAnalysis(EIA)reconnaissancesurveywithanNGO.Itwasformerly

Rikudacommunalforestarea(CFA),andunderittherearefivecommunities–

KurayeandYanainKurayedistrict,andtheremainingthree,Kadandani,Karare

andMajenGobirinRimidistrict.

ItisamongthenumerousforestreservesstartedbyEmirMuhammaduDikko

(1905-1944)inKatsinaprovince,beginningfrom 1913,whenhecravedfortheir

establishmentsandsubsequentprotectioninKatsinaprovince,andby1930the

numbersuddenlygrewtobeover1,923CFA’s.Thecolonialmastersestablished

decreesgoverningthesafeguardingoftheforests,butwhentheyleftin1960the

entireforestswerebroughtunderdegradationsandencroachmentsofmany

factors,mainlytheselling outofsomeportionsoftheforestsmostlyby

traditionaltitleholders,saychiefwards.

ItisrememberedthatKurayedistrictcametobeon3/8/1992whenfourteen(14)

additionaldistrictswerecreatedbySa’iduBardaadministration.

Theforestwasobservedtoreallybeindeterioratinglydeplorableanddisgustic

conditions.Whatamess.

Then,asaforester,anenvironmentalistIhadtogobackanddemandforreasons

whytheCFA wasdegradedtosuchlevel.Thatalsotookmesometimeto

interviewanddiscusswithsomeofthevillagerswithinthecommunitiesforthe

purpose ofcoming up with an administrative advice to Katsina State

governmentandotherstakeholders.Wastheforestbeenadequatelymonitored

andproperlyconsideredtobesafeguarded?

Itwasdiscoveredthatin2003acourtcasewasongoingwhensomenotable

figuresintheareabegansellingthelands.

Then,in2023,itwasgatheredtheforestencroachers,or,thosedirectlyinvolved

inthesellingofthelandsweretheSecretarytothepresentDistrictHead,Wakilin

MaigariorChiefWard’srepresentativeandoneotherfellow,alieutenanttothe

DH.Thoselieutenantswereresponsibleforthesellingoftheforestportionsto

maketheirpersonalmoney.

Tomyunderstanding,thisrecentmisunderstandingoflandgrabbingbeganwhen

on17/2/2023thechiefwardofKurayewrotealettertoKurayeDistrictHead,

submittingtohim thelistoffourteen(14)personsthatwithinthecommunity

thatsoldsomeportionsofthelandout.Thatlettercameafterapreviousland

tusslewassettobeinvestigated,Ibelieve.Then,theDistrictHead,Alhaji

AbubakarAbdullahi,whostoodvehementlytoprotecttheCFAunderhiswatch,

wrotealetterandsetupacommitteetocheckmatethematter,whichfurther

wentanddiscoveredmorethirty-two(32)personsinvolvedinthefraud,bringing

thetotalnumbertobeforty-six(46)andnotfourteen(14)asearlierstatedbyhis

chiefward.Theletterwasdatedandsignedon7/2/2023.Then,aquerywas

servedtochiefwardbytheDH.

Then,betweenJanuary2024todate,anotherdramaerupted.TheDH was

dethronedbytheStateGovernorforotherreasonsoutsidetheCFAcircleand

wasreplacedbyhischiefward,thedefendant.And,withKurayedistricthaving

eight(8)wardstoday,theforestsofYana,GanuwaandBanyeweresoldtomany

individuals,underthe authorityofthe new DH as was lamented bythe

communities.Henceforth,thefour(4)lieutenantsthatwereunderinvestigation

ofthelandsellinghavenowbeenpardonedandthelandstheyclaimedandsome

otherpartssoldbythemwerereturnedbacktothem.Itwasspeculatedthatthey

workedforAPCinthelast2023electionandsothelandswerereturnedbackto

them asmarkofcompensationfortheroletheyplayedintheirwardstobring

Raddatopower.

Toreminisceit,adecreewasestablishedon1/10/1952fortheestablishmentof

RikudaCommunalForestArea(CFA)whichwasapprovedon11/2/1959andwas

signedbyMalam Lawal,theclerkoftheCouncilofNativeAuthority(NA)That

wasdoneinthepresenceofresidentofKatsinaprovince,Mr.E.O.W.Hunt,

MalamI.D.Haruna,SarkinFada,TafidanKatsina,MalamMusaYar’adua,Magajin

garinKatsina,Malam AbuDuwan,SarkinDawa,GaladimanDaji,theSurveyor

General,KadunaandthePermanentSecretarytoRegionalGovernment.This

documentwassigned,bearingthecommonsealofKatsinaNativeAuthority.

ThiswasalsoapplicabletoallCFA’sacrossthewholenorthernNigeria.The

documentswerefiledinthenationalmuseum Kadunaandthenorthernstate’s

MinistryofAgriculture.

Henceforth,afterfourmonths,theSarkinDawa(forestadministrator)gavean

orderon12/6/1959withanidentity-KTNANo.65,RukudaForestReserveOrder,

1959whichwasagainsignedbyProvisionalForestOfficer.

TostrengthentheformerNA’slegislationontheforest,anadministrativeletter

oftheyear2003wasissuedfrom ZonalForestOfficeofState’sMinistryof

Agriculture,deterringdeforestersfromenteringandmisusingtheforest.Boththe

letteralsostoppedanyactivityaroundgovernment’sforestreservesintheState.

Inthesamevein,anotherletterwasreleasedon26/7/2022from Ministryof

Agriculture and NaturalResources,which was

signed by one Saminu

Mohammed forthe Honorable Commissionerthatnobodyshould huntor

encroacharoundtheCFA.Bothletterswereshowntomeasevidencesforthe

forestprotection.

Forestpotentials/productscanalleviateacommunityoutofpoverty,likewhen

theeconomictreesareproperlyutilized.Thedynamicsofruralareasforrural

transformationsshouldsignificantlybec