A Jigawa State Farmers and Herders Special Court has ordered a group of cattle herders to jointly pay ₦500 million as compensation to farmers whose farmlands were destroyed in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area of the state.

The ruling was delivered on Tuesday by the presiding judge, Yusuf Abubakar, who cited relevant provisions of the Penal Code in arriving at the decision.

The case was instituted by the Jigawa State Commissioner of Police against nine defendants, including Ilu Adamu, following incidents of crop destruction and violence in several farming communities. The trial lasted over two years before the final judgment was handed down.

In his ruling, Justice Abubakar held that the defendants were guilty on multiple counts, including allowing their cattle to stray into cultivated farmlands, contrary to Section 97 of the Penal Code.

The court also found the herders liable for the destruction of property, including the burning of a tractor tyre and a motorcycle belonging to the Jigawa State Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), an offence punishable under Section 326 of the Penal Code.

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Additionally, the judge ruled that the defendants caused bodily harm to farmers during the incidents, in violation of Sections 332 and 114 of the Penal Code.

“Having carefully evaluated the evidence before the court, the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt,” Justice Abubakar said. “The convicts are hereby ordered to jointly pay the sum of ₦500 million as damages to the affected farmers.”

The court also ordered the defendants to pay ₦500,000 to the state AFAN chairman for the destruction of his property.

Justice Abubakar granted the convicts 30 days within which to appeal the judgment.

Reacting to the verdict, a representative of the affected farmers, Auwalu Garba, described the judgment as a milestone.

“This is a victory for justice,” Garba said. “We hope this decision will serve as a deterrent and encourage both farmers and herders to embrace peaceful coexistence.”

Defence counsel, however, declined to comment on the ruling.

The incidents that led to the trial occurred in the Kwarsa, Larau and Tukuda forest areas of Birnin Kudu Local Government Area, communities that have long been identified as flashpoints for farmers–herders conflicts.

Jigawa State operates a specialised Farmers and Herders Court, established to ensure speedy resolution of disputes between the two groups. The initiative was introduced to reduce delays associated with conventional courts, which often prolong land-related cases and sometimes trigger reprisal attacks or mob justice.

Judges assigned to the special courts are trained in both the Penal Code and local land-use customs to ensure context-sensitive judgments.

Although the state has officially designated grazing reserves and cattle routes, known locally as Burtali, rapid population growth has led to the illegal conversion of many of these routes into farmlands. As a result, herders often pass through cultivated fields while attempting to follow traditional grazing paths, escalating tensions.

The long-running conflict between sedentary farmers and migratory or semi-nomadic herders is driven by competition for land and water resources, a situation worsened by climate change and desertification in Nigeria’s far northern regions, which is forcing herders to move southward in search of pasture and water.