More than 2,000 farmers from Awe and Obi Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State have staged a peaceful protest over the alleged seizure of their farmlands by a traditional ruler for a government-backed rice project.
The demonstrators, carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Our land is our only livelihood— don't take it away!”; and “Government tells us to farm, then takes our land—this is injustice!”;,
The protesters marched through Agwatashi, stopping at the palace of the Osoho of Olosoho, Alhaji Umar Apeshi, to express their grievances.
According to Arotu Ikwogya, the leader of the protest, more than 10,000 hectares of ancestral farmland have been earmarked for the Jangwa Rice Project without the consent of the affected farmers.
The protesters are demanding that the government halt the land acquisition and engage them in discussions to find a fair resolution.
