Taraba community protests, seeks govt intervention over alleged harassment by monarch

Communities in the Kwararafa Chiefdom of the Gassol Local Government Area in Taraba State staged a peaceful protest on Saturday, alleging harassment by the traditional ruler of Gassol, HRH Idris Chiroma.

They appealed to Governor Agbu Kefas to intervene and prevent Chiroma from interfering in the affairs of the Kwararafa Chiefdom.

The protesters claimed that Idris Chiroma was coercing them to pay him royalties on farmlands and ponds, despite these areas not being under his chiefdom.

The spokesperson for the Kwararafa Chiefdom, Kefas Sabo, explained to journalists during the protest that the Kwararafa Chiefdom was lawfully created out of the Gassol Chiefdom by then-Governor Darius Ishaku in 2018.

“Kwararafa was one of the 47 chiefdoms created by the former governor, Darius Ishaku, in 2018 under the Taraba State Chieftaincy Amendment Law 2018, enacted by the Taraba State House of Assembly.

“The villages of Tella, Dobeli, Dissol, Takai, Sabon Gida, Tunga Anguli, Dinya, Nafuche, Yaku Cholo, Gidan Kussa, Nanguru, Yaku Shamaki, Madani, Yaku Baba, Yaku Magaji, and Garko were all carved out of the Gassol Chiefdom to form the Kwararafa Chiefdom.

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“Unlike other newly created chiefdoms that have enjoyed peace and harmonious coexistence with their mother chiefdoms, Chiroma, the Chief of Gassol, has declared war against the people of Kwararafa Chiefdom.

“Shortly after the creation of the chiefdom, Mr. Chiroma instituted three suits in the Jalingo High Court opposing its creation, all of which he lost. He also filed 39 other cases in various courts in the state against the peasant farmers of Kwararafa Chiefdom.

“The Chief of Gassol has used the police and courts to harass, intimidate, arrest, and detain over 30 farmers from different villages under the Kwararafa Chiefdom, claiming these villages fall under his administrative domain.

“The situation worsened in 2023 after his younger brother, Yakubu Chiroma, was elected into the House of Representatives to represent the people of Gassol and Bali.

“The traditional ruler colluded with officials of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to distort the original map of the villages carved out of the Gassol Chiefdom.

“We, therefore, call on the state governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, to restrain the Chief of Gassol from encroaching on the villages under the Kwararafa Chiefdom and to stop him from recklessly using the police and courts to harass, intimidate, arrest, and detain innocent farmers,” Sabo stated.

When contacted, the Chief of Gassol, Alhaji Idris Chiroma, denied the allegations.

Mr. Yunusa Umar, Secretary of the Gassol Traditional Council, speaking on behalf of the traditional ruler on Sunday night, said, “The Chief of Gassol has never visited the disputed areas or sent anyone to act on his behalf since the creation of the Kwararafa Chiefdom.

“The stakeholders of Gassol did go to court to challenge the inclusion of some villages that were carved out of the Gassol Chiefdom, and the cases were decided in favor of the Gassol stakeholders.

“The state government appealed the judgment at the Appeal Court in Yola. So where does the Chief of Gassol come into this matter?

“HRH Idris Chiroma has never demanded any royalties from anyone and would not stoop so low as to demand royalties from areas outside his domain,” Umar defended.