The Tangale Community Overseas (TCO) has called on the Gombe State government to publicly clarify allegations that portions of its ancestral highlands in Billiri local government area could be designated for pastoral settlement.It warned that any action affecting indigenous lands without community consent would be unacceptable.
In a statement issued yesterday in Gusau by the Tangale Community Development Association (TCDA) North West Block said the Kwagam Tangle Socio-Cultural Association (KTSCA) and the Tangale Elders Forum (TEF), expressed concern over reports first raised by the Centre for Justice on Religious and Ethnicity in Nigeria (CJREN).
CJREN had alleged in a statement dated June 24, 2026, that the state government was considering plans that could limit indigenous communities’ access to parts of the Tangale highlands while opening portions of the area for pastoral settlement.
The government has not responded to the allegations.
However, TCO said the reports had generated widespread concern among Tangale communities and deserved an official response.
“The Tangale homeland is not vacant land. It is not state property to be redistributed at will. It is the living inheritance of a people whose history predates modern administrative structures,” the organisation said.
According to TCO, any proposal to allocate, reclassify or restrict access to Tangale ancestral lands without what it described as the free, prior and informed consent of affected communities would violate both customary rights and internationally recognised principles protecting indigenous peoples.
The organisation called on the state government to disclose whether any discussions, policy proposals or official documents exist concerning the alleged plans.
Among its demands are the publication of all relevant documents, independent verification of land use in the affected areas, and assurances that no ancestral lands will be acquired or reassigned without transparent consultation with local communities.
TCO also questioned a recent public rejoinder issued by the Tangale Traditional Council, saying it did not directly address key issues raised by the allegations.
According to the organisation, the Council’s statement failed to clarify whether traditional rulers or other representatives participated in meetings with government officials concerning the reported land proposals.
“The Tangale people are entitled to the truth,” the statement said. “Silence, evasion and half-statements cannot substitute for accountability.”
The organisation further disputed assertions contained in the Council’s rejoinder that farming does not occur on the Tangale highlands, maintaining that many residents continue to cultivate farmland across the area and depend on it for their livelihoods.
