During a battle at the Yardoka Grazing Reserve in the Kubau Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Sunday, Saleh Shuaibu, also known as Saleh Fiya-Fiya, a local commander of the Kaduna State Vigilance Service, or KADVIS, was slain.
The incident happened when Kaduna State Government officials visited the reserve to implement a mandate regarding the distribution of more than 200 hectares of land to a private enterprise, according to a post made on X by security analyst Zagazola Makama.
According to reports, herder groups that are occupying the area in issue have opposed the government’s decision, claiming they have not been compensated. But according to contradictory reports, compensation had already been given, despite the squatters’ demands for more, which Makama said he was unable to objectively verify.
Makama said the government delegation was accompanied by armed policemen and Department of State Services, DSS, operatives but was blocked from entering the area by protesting squatters armed with sticks and cutlasses.
During the standoff, Commander Shuaibu reportedly stepped out of a vehicle to intervene but was attacked by the crowd. One of the protesters allegedly stabbed him with a knife, killing him on the spot.
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The incident has raised concerns over growing tensions in land disputes involving local communities and government-sanctioned investments in grazing reserves.
As of the time of reporting, no official statement had been issued by state authorities regarding the killing.
