A High Court in Minna has issued an interim order stopping the Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Umar Bago, and five other parties from entering or working on a disputed farmland located near Tagwai Dam in Bosso Local Government Area.
The order was issued in case number NSHC/MN/215/2025, following a suit filed by Bello Wakili and nine members of his family, who claim ownership of the land. They are seeking legal protection against alleged encroachment by the state government and its agencies.
The plaintiffs, represented by their lawyer Solomon Ogbeche, named the following as defendants: the Niger State Government, the Ministry of Lands, the Commissioner for Lands, the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the State, and Niger Foods Limited.
Justice Mohammed Mohammed ruled that none of the defendants should access or carry out any work on the land until the court gives a final judgment on the matter.
Despite the court’s order, the plaintiffs alleged that the defendants continued to enter and interfere with the land. As a result, their lawyer has filed a contempt motion, asking the court to hold the parties in violation accountable and commit them to correctional custody.
The case has been adjourned to October 6, 2025, for further hearing.
The land dispute comes at a time when land ownership and acquisition for agricultural and development projects remain contentious issues in several parts of Nigeria, especially with increasing state involvement in food production and commercial farming.
