Shendam LGA Natives Debunk Misleading Publications Over Land Dispute In Tudun Wada

Yakubu Busari

It has become obvious that a campaign of calumny is been sponsored by unknown forces using medium of mass communication against the Fuanter Family in Shendam local government, the Shendam Traditional Council, and the peace-loving people of Shendam LGA of Plateau state.

Thomas T Fuanter,  Head of the Fuanter Family.in a statement made available to journalists in Plateau state, stated thus; “Permit me to draw your attention to two publications in Daily Trust Newspaper that bears a bylines of one Abubakar Ado Musa. Both publications done within a week interval were deliberately done to weep up ethnic and religious sentiments and to portray the Fuanter Family in bad light and smear her glorious reputation as a humble and peace-loving family. 

The first publication dated Wednesday, 16th August 2023 was given the headline: ‘PLATEAU MUSLIM COMMUNITY CRIES OUT OVER FORCEFUL LAND, HOUSES SEIZURE IN SHENDAM’. The second publication dated Tuesday 22nd August 2023 written by the same reporter was titled; LAND TURSLE: PROTEST AS POLICE LEAD BULDOZER TO PLATEAU COMMUNITY.

It is pointless dwelling on the unprofessional and completely biased editorial work in both publications knowing fully well that Daily Trust is famous in using it’s medium to achieve a sinister religious and ethnic agenda in Plateau state. 

However, key areas of concern in the malicious publications was the conscious efforts by the said medium to drag into it the good name of Barr Festus Fuanter, a renown philanthropist and Deputy National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as being the sponsor of such forceful seizures of houses and land.

The publications are also aiming at weeping up ethnic and religious sentiments in it’s usual attempt to divert the attention of the Nigerian public from the reality of the land dispute involving the Fuanter family and the illegal occupants. A case of a thief challenging the rightful owner of the property.

THE FACTS OF THE LAND DISPUTE.

A closer investigation by any independent and objective mind will amazingly discover that:

1. These malicious and mischievous publications were crafted from a land dispute between the Fuanter Family of Shendam and one Mohammadu Bashiru, Abbas Ahmadu Tega and Yusuf Baga.

It will interest the general public to note that Plateau state High Court had since 2022 decided the case in favour of the Fuanter family. The court thereby in addition to it’s judgement and orders issued  and the Fuanter’s family the Writ of Possession of the disputed land.

When it became obvious that the illegal occupants were not ready to obey the orders of the court, the Plateau State High Court in June, 2023 moves to enforce it’s judgement by sealing off the whole disputed area.

2. Despite the Court action, Muhammadu Bashiru, Abbas Ahmadu Tega and Yusuf Baga had in flagrant disobedience of the Court judgement decided to break the Court seals and took possession of the land and properties. And to introduce their religious sentiments into the matter, the same people simply erected a mosque on the disputed land to give the matter a religious coloration.

3. On noticing that, the Fuanter family immediately reported to the Police and arrests were made and some individuals were charged to Court for Criminal trespass and contempt of Court. The case is still pending before the Shendam Area Court.

4. While this was happening , the Fuanter Family who are desirous of a peaceful resolution of the matter approached the Sarkin Hausawa, the Ullama, and Muslim elders in Shendam to midwife a process where all those who have houses on the disputed land  be allowed to pay minimal compensation to the Fuanter family and keep their houses. This as laudable as it were, the culprits refused to even honor the invitations to the peace meeting.

5. In order to avoid any crisis on the matter, the Sarkin Hausawa and the Muslim elders took the matter before the Long Goemai of Shendam but again, Yusuf Baga, Abbas Ahmadu Tega and Mohammadu Bashiru blatantly refused to honor the invitation of the Paramount ruler.

6. Having attempted all peaceful efforts of ensuring the enjoyment of the benefit of their judgement, the Fuanter family went back to the State High Court with a petition seeking for full execution of the judgment. A decision which shall entail the demolition of all the properties on the land.

Given the facts above, it become laughable when a group of people found by the law to be criminals would deliberately prefer to go about weeping up religious sentiment just because they have a medium they could use to distort the facts and propagate their sentiments.

The peace-loving Faunter family simply adopted due process of the rule of law to reclaim what rightly belong to them. One then wonder why, in spite of the facts presented above, someone would want to drag the good name of Shendam LGA, the Nigerian Police to the mud just to dubiously claim someone’s property.

It is noteworthy to state that Shendam local government has enjoyed more than a century of peaceful coexistence with numerous ethnic nationalities residing in and around the LGA with no trace of religious animosity among residents. And the Fuanter family can vow that even this dispute will not lead to any form of ethnic or religious dispute as the publications was trying to ignite.

Genuine Muslims anywhere in the world that truly worship Allah, will appeal against the judgement of the state high court if you think you have a good case. But leaving the path of justice to embark on trading on people’s emotion is not only laughable but incitive.

In a case where you are given the opportunity to prove to the law your ownership of a property and you failed to do so, and you refused to appeal the case, it is natural that you are dispossessed of such property. What the law cannot give you, sentiment through false publications in all media in the world will not give you.

We plead with Daily Trust to desist from any incitive publications capable of provoking ethnic and religious dispute in Shendam local government of Plateau state.

The Nigeria law is for all of us, and justice does not dwell on sentiments, it dwell on facts.