The recent High Court decision that granted indigeneship to Hausa/Fulani people in Jos North Local Government Area based on their place of birth and length of stay in the state has been disputed by the Plateau Initiative for Development and Advancement of Natives (PIDAN).
The group responded to the decision at a news conference in Jos on Monday, stating that it will go to the Court of Appeal and use all legal and constitutional channels to contest the result in order to convey its disapproval of the ruling.At the press conference, which was organized by PIDAN following an urgent meeting of its leadership to discuss the ramifications of the ruling rendered by Hon. Justice C. Donglong on June 9, 2026, the group announced that it had formed a committee to study the ruling and investigate legal options, including filing an appeal, and that it had entered into cooperative discussions with like-minded groups and organizations in the state.At the conclusion of the conference, PIDAN issued a communiqué that was jointly signed by its Secretary-General, Comr. Danjuma Dickson Auta, and President, Amb. Danjuma Nanpon Sheni. In it, the organization urged the state’s citizens to maintain composure, peace, and adherence to the law while legal proceedings are carried out.
According to the statement, “PIDAN maintains that the question of indigenous ownership of Jos North had long been addressed through various judicial panels and commissions established following past crises in the area.”The group cited the 2004 Plateau Peace Conference, the Niki Tobi Commission on the 2001 crisis, the Bola Ajibola Commission on the 2008 crisis, and the Aribiton Fiberesima Commission on the 1994 Jos crisis. They contended that these panels had consistently recognized only the Afizere, Anaguta, and Berom ethnic nationalities as indigenous groups in Jos and Jos North, while acknowledging other communities as long-term inhabitants. It contested the reasoning behind his No. PLD/J382/91, which was resolved on April 6, 1996, but the case was turned down. It further stated that on November 22, 2000, the Jos Division of the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court’s ruling. The appeal then went to the Supreme Court, which sustained the lower courts’ rulings on April 24, 2009.The organization claimed that the gap between citizenship and indigeneship is not specific to Plateau State but rather exists throughout Nigeria and that the ruling seemed to be at odds with previous judicial authority and recognized legal viewpoints. It argued that claims of ancestral ownership and customary recognition are not the same as constitutional citizenship rights.
PIDAN emphasized that this recognition does not change its stance on the indigeneity issue pertaining to Jos North, even if it acknowledged the contributions and existence of other ethnic nations residing in the state.
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