A local commander of the Kaduna State Vigilance Service, KADVIS, Saleh Shuaibu, popularly known as Saleh Fiya-Fiya, was killed on Sunday during a clash at the Yardoka Grazing Reserve in Kubau Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
According to a post by security analyst Zagazola Makama on X, the incident occurred when officials of the Kaduna State Government visited the reserve to enforce a directive involving the allocation of over 200 hectares of land to a private company.
The land in question is reportedly being occupied by herder communities who resisted the government’s action, citing lack of compensation. However, conflicting accounts claim that compensation had already been paid, though the squatters were demanding more, a claim Makama noted he could not independently confirm.
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.
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.
