Kwararafa community protests encroachment, harassment of residents by Chief of Gassol

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Kwararafa Chiefdom protesters

By Our Reporter, Jalingo

Communities under Kwararafa Chiefdom on Monday protested against encroachment, harassment and intimidation of their residents by Alhaji Idris Chiroma, Chief of Gassol, in Gassol Local Government Area in Taraba State.

Apex News Exclusive reports that the communities of Tella, Dobeli, Takai, Sabongida, Tunga Angulu, Dinya, Nafuche, Gidan-Kusa, Nanguru, Yaku-Shamaki, Madani, Yaku Baba, Yaku Magaji among many other communities under Kwararafa chiefdom trooped out in large numbers protesting against the conducts of Chief of Gassol.

The protesters carried placards with different inscriptions such as ‘Idris Cihroma should stay away from Kwararafa chiefdom’, ‘Taraba Government must stop Idris Chiroma from harassment and intimidation of our people’ among many other comments.

Mr Kefas Sabo, Spokesman for Kwararafa community, while addressing newsmen during the protest said that Kwararrafa Chiefdom was created out of Gassol chiefdom in 2018 under Taraba State Chieftaincy Amendment Law 2018 and was enacted by the state house of assembly accordingly.

“It is on record that shortly after the creation of Kwararafa chiefdom, the chief of Gasol declared war against the people of Kwararafa.

“He instituted three deferent suits at Jalingo High Court, opposing the map of the villages that were carved out of Gassol chiefdom to make up Kwararafa chiefdom.

“Similarly, the Chief of Gassol has been using police and court to harass, intimidate and detained 30 farmers from deferent communities under Kwararafa Chiefdom, claiming that the villages fall under his administrative area.

“The harassment and detention of the people of Kwararafa became worse from 2023 after his younger brother, Jafaru Yakubu Chiroma, was elected into the House of Representatives to represent the people of Gassol and Bali,” Mr Sabo said.

He alleged that Mr Chiroma colluded with officials of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to distort the original map of the villages carved out of Gassol chief.

Expressing concern over what they described as a “declaration of war” by the Gassol Chief against their community, they said there is a need for the incumbent state governor to wade in and call the monarch to order.

“It is with great bitterness that we inform you that, unlike other newly created chiefdoms who enjoy peaceful coexistence with their mother chiefdoms, our situation has been different because the Chief of Gassol has declared war on our chiefdom, which was legally established,” Sabo said.

“We are therefore, calling on the Taraba state Governor Agbu Kefas to restrain Ciroma from encroaching into the chiefdom.

Responding, the Chief of Gassol, Alhaji Idris Chiroma dismissed the allegations as baseless and false.

Chiroma while speaking with newsmen in Jalingo through his Secretary Yanusa Umar said he has not even for once visited the disputed areas or sent anyone to act on his behalf since the creation of Kwararafa Chiefdom.

Commenting on the Court cases, Yanusa said that Chiroma had not been a party in all the cases so claimed.

“The stakeholders of Gassol actually went to court to challenge the creation of kwararafa and the inhalation of the then Chief of kwararafa Chiefdom and the cases were decided in favour of the Gassol Stakeholders,” he said.

On the demanding of royalties from the farmers of Kwararafa, Inusa said Ciroma cannot descend too low to demand for royalties from areas outside his domain.

According to him, these allegations are mere lies, aimed at denting the good image of the Chief of Gassol.