The Nasarawa State High Court sitting in Obi has issued an order directing all parties involved in the dispute over 10,000 hectares of Tiv ancestral farmlands to maintain the status quo until the substantive suit is determined.

Justice Solomon Ayenaje issued the directive on May 27, 2025, following an oral application by T.J. Aondo, SAN, counsel to the plaintiffs who are leaders of Tiv communities in Awe and Obi Local Government Areas.

The plaintiffs are challenging what they describe as the unlawful and forceful acquisition of their ancestral lands by the Nasarawa State Government, its agencies, and the Nigerian Army. The court has instructed that no party should take any further action that might alter the current state of the land until the case is fully resolved.

The disputed lands, spanning over 10,000 hectares, are described as the economic and cultural lifeblood of 21 Tiv villages, including Akaha, Utsuwa, Usula, Udugh, and Chabo. The plaintiffs, led by Aondo Tivlumun L., Dr. Francis Uger, Upav Felix Saaior, and 15 others, are contesting the legality of the land acquisition, alleging it was carried out without lawful justification, prior consent, or compensation.

At the resumed hearing, the plaintiffs' originating summons challenging the constitutionality of Executive Order No. 3 of 2023, issued by Governor Abdullahi Sule, was scheduled for consideration. However, A.U. Idris moved a fresh application for joinder on behalf of Farm Network Services, an interested party in the matter.

Justice Ayenaje granted the state counsel, Alhassan, five days to respond, two days for the plaintiffs to reply, and an additional five days for all parties to file further affidavits. He also directed all interested parties, including the Osoho of Agwatashi, Dr. Umar Abubakar Apeshi, to file counter-affidavits within seven days.

The matter has been adjourned to June 11, 2025, for the hearing of all pending applications.

The plaintiffs are urging the court to declare the acquisition unconstitutional, unlawful, and an act of ethnic depopulation. They argue that Executive Order No. 3, signed by Governor Abdullahi Sule on December 29, 2023, violates the 1999 Constitution, the Land Use Act, and international conventions, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

They are also asking the court to declare the labelling of Tiv indigenes as "settlers", as reportedly described in the National Accord newspaper of March 25, 2025, and in official statements, discriminatory, unlawful, and unconstitutional.

The defendants in this case include the Governor of Nasarawa State, the Attorney-General, the Nasarawa Geographic Information System (NAGIS), the Ministries of Lands and Agriculture, the Nigerian Army, the Osoho of Agwatashi, and Farm Network Services.