Updates: Court Settles Controversy Over Turunku Chiefdom Catchment Areas

A Federal High Court sitting in Mararaba, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa state has on Friday 7th February, 2020 laid to rest the controversy over catchment areas that covered the creation of Turunku Chiefdom in Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa state.

In his ruling, Justice Abdullahi Ozegya, dismissed the application filed by a factional Bassa Cultural Development Union (BCDU) for lack of merit.

Ozegya further declared that all the villages under the edit No 4 of 1999, which created the Chiefdom are intact and in full force.

It would be recalled that the former Governor of Nasarawa state, Sen Tanko Al-Makura, has in 2019 appointed His Royal Highness, Dr David W Tukura as the Aguma of Turunku Chiefdom in Toto Local Government Area of the state.

Since his appointment as the Royal father of the Chiefdom, controversy has been trailing the Chiefdom over the catchment areas by the aggrieve party.
The group have approached a Federal High Court, asking the government of Nasarawa state and the traditional ruler to explain why the Chiefdom didn’t cover all the communities and villages belonging to Bassa ethnic group as stated in edit No 4 of 1999.
But the judgment delivered by Justice Abdullahi Ozegya, mentioned all the villages under the edit No 4 of 1999, thereby laying to rest the claims that some villages were excluded and ceded to Umuasha district area.

In his reaction, HRH Dr David W Tukura, the Aguma of Bassa Turunku Chiefdom, expressed his profound gratitude, calling on all the parties to come together and join hands with him in order to move the Bassa nation forward.
The traditional ruler aslo said that there was no winner no vanquish but added that the judgement ensure that the dreams of Bassa nation is realized.

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In a statement through his Special Assistance Media and Publicity, Mr Jibreel Gimba, the traditional said:
“It is with profound gratitude to God that HRH would want to appreciate the landmark Judgement rendered by Justice Abdullahi Ozegya today the 7th of February 2020.

“We hope this significant Judgement will put to rest weeks and months of acrimonious rancor where all manner of allegations were flaunted on alleged “sale of land” and “deals” that supposedly shortchanged our people.
“As we maintained throughout this trying period, “no land was sold” and Turunku Chiefdom remains intact; edict No. 4 of 1999 remains unannuled and still in full force. The High Court made all that clear today. Henceforth, nobody should be deceived into believing otherwise,” the statement said.

It said further: “I would like to call on all loyal subjects to resist the temptation to gloat over the Judgement. This is not the time to mock or deride our brothers on the other side of the divide. This is the time to call them back from wallowing in the mud of hatred and dry desert of malice. This is the time to encourage them to stop breaking the calabash of our common patrimony. This is the time to lovingly show them the way out of the wilderness. It is time to call them back home. For no matter what has happened and no matter what has been said in moments of anger, we are still brothers! We are all Bassas and must be magnanimous in victory.”

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