PHOTOS: Food scarcity looms as sand miners displace over 1,000 farmers in Kano

About 1000 farmers in Dawakin Kudu and Kura local government areas of Kano State have lost their farmlands to indiscriminate sand mining activities in the area.

Solacebase reports that the affected farmers mostly from Tassa, Gamadan, Ruku, Gundutse, Gainawa, Dantube, Yaburawa, Kwari, Yanciyawa and Tudun Bayero, said the development is posing a threat of imminent food scarcity and it may also not be unconnected with the skyrocket prices of some foods in the State.

Alkasin Sani, a farmer with over five decades of experience, told Solacebase that he usually produces 50 bags of maize yearly, but now, he manages to get a bag of maize annually after losing his 6 hectares of farmland to sand mining.

“Before I had six hectares of farmland which I use for the dry and wet season. But due to the sand mining, I lost everything. Before the sand mining, I used to harvest 50 bags of maize every year, but right now, I don’t have anything”.

Also, Muhammad Umar, another farmer in Tassa Village under Dawakin Kudu Local Government is into farming sugarcane, onion, paper, rice and maize with an annual turnover of about N500, 000 on onions farming alone.

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But now, he got about N150, 000 last year following the alleged encroachment of about 80% of his farmland by local miners.

“I farm sugarcane, onion, paper, rice and maize. Unfortunately, I have lost half of my farmland due to mining activities. Before I lose my farmland, I get about N500,000 profit on onion farming alone. But after losing the farmland, I get only N150,000 last year”.

As farmers are counting their losses, stakeholders of the affected communities are also expressing worries over the impending environmental challenges such as flooding being posed by the mining activities.

The situation led to peaceful protests recently by the affected farmers in Tassa Village.

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The Secretary of Tassa Farmers Cooperative Union, Abdulwahab Tsoho Adamu laments that currently over 40 dredging machines are mounted at the mining site and daily, hundreds of truckloads of sand are being taken away from the site. He claims that some of the miners were not duly registered.

“From the beginning, we used to see people coming with canoes and taking sand from the river. Later, we saw miners with machines mining out sand, but after some time they left because the sand had finished”.

“All of a sudden we saw bigger mining outfits with dredging machines that came and set up the machines to dredge the river and squeeze sand out and later our farms were submerged.

“At the moment, over 40 dredging machines are mounted at the mining site and every day, hundreds of truckloads of sand are being taken away from the site”. He said.

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When Solacebase contacted, the Leadership of the Sand Miners who declined comments, said the case is in court. But their Lawyer, Ibrahim Baba claims that the miners have a license to dredge the river.

“My clients have instituted an action before the Federal High Court sitting in Kano in respect of this matter seeking the interpretation of the court with respect to the license and permit they have to dredge and excavate sand in that area”.

“If the farmers are saying that the activities of my client is one of the causes of their farming activities, I believe they should have proof and evidence to show because the activities of my client is within the law.’’

“If my client is dredging the river, it means the river won’t overflow the banks and my client is doing so within the ambit of the law”.

When contacted, the State Commissioner for Environment, Dr Kabiru Ibrahim Getso says the Ministry is aware of the indiscriminate mining activities in the State, assuring that the Ministry would send its personnel to inspect the affected areas for prompt action.

“This is certainly a big problem. The issue of mining is under the Federal Government, but that does not mean Government will sit and watch people destroying means of livelihood of members of the community”.

“So I want to assure you that whenever we see this kind of problem, the government does not relent. We ensure that the activity is stopped. And where you have erosion, the government will put a measure to ensure that the erosion problem is address,’’ Dr Kabiru Ibrahim Getso told Solacebase.

As northern farmers are battling the challenges of insecurity, complicating such with loss of farmland due to mining activities may undermine moves for food security in Kano and the country at large, hence the need for prompt action by all relevant authorities to remedy the situation.