The Plateau Initiative for Development and Advancement of the Natives (PIDAN) has rejected the recent Federal High Court judgment on the indigeneity of Jos North Local Government Area and vowed to challenge the ruling through legal means.
In a press statement issued on Monday and signed by its President, Amb. Danjuma Nanpon Sheni, and Secretary-General, Comrade Danjuma Dickson Auta, PIDAN called on residents of Plateau State to remain calm and law-abiding despite what it described as a controversial judgment delivered by Justice C. Donglong on June 9, 2026.
The group disclosed that its leadership convened an emergency meeting on June 13 to examine the implications of the court’s decision and agreed to pursue all available legal and constitutional options, including an immediate appeal.
According to PIDAN, the judgment came as a shock to many indigenes of Plateau State, particularly in light of what it described as established judicial precedents on the issue of Jos North’s indigenous ownership.
The organisation maintained that several commissions of inquiry set up following past crises in Jos had consistently identified the Afizere, Anaguta and Berom ethnic groups as the indigenous tribes of Jos and Jos North Local Government Area.
Among the reports cited by PIDAN were the Aribiton Fiberesima Commission of 1994, the Niki Tobi Commission of 2001, the Bola Ajibola Commission of 2008, and the Plateau Peace Conference of 2004.
PIDAN noted that while other ethnic groups were recognised as long-settled residents and citizens, the commissions did not classify them as indigenous owners of the land.
The group further referenced a series of court decisions, including judgments of the Plateau State High Court, the Court of Appeal, Jos Division, and the Supreme Court, which it said affirmed the findings of the Fiberesima Commission regarding indigenous ownership of Jos North.
According to the statement, the Supreme Court, in a judgment delivered on April 24, 2009, upheld earlier court decisions that validated the commission’s findings.
PIDAN argued that the recent Federal High Court ruling in the Fatima Baba Akawu case appears to conflict with these higher court precedents and therefore requires judicial review through the appellate process.
“The organisation will immediately instruct its legal team to fully study the judgment and advise on the most appropriate legal action, including an appeal to set the judgment aside,” the statement said.
While reiterating its commitment to legal processes, PIDAN urged residents across Plateau State not to resort to violence or take the law into their own hands.
The group stressed that no single Federal High Court judgment could erase what it described as the long-established legal history, gazetted white papers, and Supreme Court decisions concerning the indigenous ownership of Jos North.
PIDAN also emphasized the distinction between citizenship and indigeneship, arguing that while all Nigerians enjoy constitutional rights regardless of where they reside, indigeneship remains tied to ancestral ownership and customary rights across the country’s states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The organisation acknowledged the contributions of other ethnic nationalities, including Yoruba, Igbo, South-South and Hausa-Fulani communities, describing them as valued citizens of Plateau State while maintaining that they are not indigenous to Jos North.
PIDAN called on Governor Caleb Mutfwang and security agencies to continue to ensure law and order across the state, assuring the public that it would keep citizens informed on developments as it pursues legal remedies.
The organisation reaffirmed its commitment to seeking justice through lawful and constitutional channels.
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