Plateau Group Rejects Jos North Indigeneship Ruling and Threatens Legal Action

The Plateau Initiative for Development and Advancement of Natives (PIDAN) has formally opposed the recent High Court decision that granted indigeneship to Hausa/Fulani residents of Jos North Local Government Area on the basis of their birth and long‑term residence in the state.

During a press conference held in Jos on Monday, PIDAN announced that it will take the matter to the Court of Appeal and pursue all available legal and constitutional avenues to overturn the judgment.

The conference, organised after an emergency meeting of PIDAN leadership to assess the implications of Hon. Justice C. Donglong’s ruling on 9 June 2026, revealed that the group has entered into collaborative discussions with like‑minded organisations across the state. PIDAN has also established a committee to study the judgment immediately and explore legal options, including filing an appeal.

In a communiqué released at the end of the event and jointly signed by PIDAN President Amb. Danjuma Nanpon Sheni and Secretary‑General Comr. Danjuma Dickson Auta, the organisation urged residents to remain calm, peaceful, and law‑abiding while the legal process unfolds.

“PIDAN maintains that the question of indigenous ownership of Jos North has long been addressed through various judicial panels and commissions established after past crises in the area,” the communiqué stated.

The group cited the Aribiton Fiberesima Commission (1994 Jos crisis), the Niki Tobi Commission (2001 crisis), the Bola Ajibola Commission (2008 crisis), and the 2004 Plateau Peace Conference. It argued that these panels consistently recognised only the Afizere, Anaguta, and Berom ethnic nationalities as indigenous to Jos and Jos North, while acknowledging other communities as long‑settled residents. PIDAN questioned the legal basis for Justice Donglong’s ruling.

The communiqué also recalled that the acceptance of the Fiberesima Commission report was challenged in the Plateau State High Court (Suit No. PLD/J382/91), a challenge dismissed on 6 April 1996. The Jos Division of the Court of Appeal later affirmed the High Court judgment on 22 November 2000 (Appeal No. CA/J/76/99), and the matter was subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court on 24 April 2009.

PIDAN therefore argued that the current judgment is inconsistent with earlier judicial authorities and established legal positions. It highlighted that the distinction between citizenship and indigeneship is not unique to Plateau State but exists nationwide, and that constitutional citizenship rights differ from claims of ancestral ownership and customary recognition.

While acknowledging the contributions and presence of other ethnic nationalities in the state, PIDAN emphasised that such recognition does not alter its stance on the indigeneity question relating to Jos North.