Bomba Dauda
The Atyap Community Development Association (ACDA) has strongly condemned an anonymous petition accusing the Agwatyap, His Royal Highness Sir Dominic Gambo Yahaya, of injustice and oppression against the Hausa and Fulani community in Zangon Urban.
In a statement signed by ACDA President, Dr. Samuel T. Achie, the group described the petition—allegedly authored by “Concerned Residents of Zango Urban”—as “dangerous, provocative, unfounded and highly divisive.”
The ACDA alleged that the petition was a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of the paramount ruler and destabilize the peace that has been painstakingly built in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area.
“The allegations of land seizure, targeted harassment, or ethnic oppression are entirely baseless, malicious, and without any iota of truth. These claims are fabricated to mislead the public and incite hatred against the Atyap people and their leadership,” the statement read.
The petition, which has been circulating online, accused the Agwatyap of denying certain residents access to farmlands their ancestors had cultivated for centuries. ACDA countered this claim, noting that land ownership in Atyap land—like elsewhere in Nigeria—is vested in individuals or families, not ethnic groups, and disputes are resolved either through traditional arbitration or the courts.
The association accused a small group of “disgruntled elements” of seeking to incite ethno-religious tensions in Kaduna State, starting with Zangon Kataf, and warned that such attempts would be resisted “with all lawful means available.”
ACDA further criticized the traditional leadership of Zango Urban District for what it called a “tacit endorsement” of the petition by failing to call its alleged sponsors to order.
The statement called on security agencies to investigate and unmask those behind the publication, warning that failure to retract the petition would be seen as a “direct provocation and deliberate sabotage of peace efforts in the area.”
Reaffirming its loyalty to the Agwatyap, the Kaduna State Government, and the Federal Government, ACDA urged residents and Nigerians at large to disregard the petition in its entirety.
