A dispute over farmland access has spiralled into deadly ethnic violence in Nigeria’s capital region, leaving one man dead, several injured, and more than 30 homes destroyed in Gurfata village, Gwagwalada Area Council, Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Local reports say the unrest began on Tuesday when a Fulani herder, Shaibu Adamu, attempted to pass through a plot belonging to a Gwari farmer named Sa’adu. The latter reportedly refused, demanding the herder take a different route. The disagreement escalated rapidly into a violent confrontation.
Security expert Zagazola Makama, writing on X (formerly Twitter), detailed how tensions intensified when Shaibu’s brother, Adamu Ibrahim, allegedly attacked a Gwari man, Dahiru Yakubu, with a machete. Yakubu was rushed to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital but later died from his injuries.
The killing triggered a reprisal by Gwari youths, who launched an attack on the Fulani settlement in the village, setting 31 houses ablaze and injuring at least three people, Makama added.
Military personnel and other security forces were deployed shortly afterwards to prevent further escalation and restore calm to the area. As of Wednesday, authorities confirmed that relative normalcy had returned, although local tensions remained high.
In the aftermath, government officials have called for calm and urged both sides to refrain from further violence. Dialogue between community leaders is reportedly ongoing in an effort to de-escalate the situation.
Despite the gravity of the incident, the Nigerian Police Force has yet to issue a public statement. Repeated attempts to contact the FCT police spokesperson, Superintendent Josephine Adeh, yielded no response.
The episode underscores persistent challenges in managing ethnic tensions and land-use disputes in rural parts of Nigeria, even within the normally stable Federal Capital Territory.
