A massive protest erupted on Tuesday at the Dangote Sugar Refinery in Yola, Adamawa State, as enraged peasant farmers took to the streets, accusing the company of encroaching on their farmlands and threatening their livelihoods.
The demonstrators—comprising elderly farmers, youths, women, and children—gathered in droves at the sugar factory along the Yola-Gombe Road, voicing their outrage over the planned expansion of the refinery’s sugarcane farm.
The aggrieved farmers, drawn from Kola, Dumna, and Zakawon districts in Guyuk Local Government Area, made it clear they would not back down, vowing to resist the takeover of their farmlands by any means necessary.
Brandishing placards with bold messages condemning the expansion, the protesters emphasized that their very survival was at stake.
Speaking on behalf of the group, David Time, the protest leader, warned that the land seizure would exacerbate food insecurity and heighten tensions in an already fragile region.
“Hunger fuels insecurity. If you take away our farmlands, you push us into deeper poverty and unrest,” he declared.
Time also accused the Dangote Sugar Refinery of failing in its corporate social responsibility (CSR), lamenting that the company had not built a single hospital, school, or even provided access to clean water and roads for the affected communities.
As tensions reached a boiling point, the farmers called on President Bola Tinubu and Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri to intervene and halt the alleged land grab.
“Where will our thousands of farmers go if Dangote Sugar Refinery takes over our land? What will become of our youths?” Time questioned.
He further expressed fears that the expansion would render the local population destitute, forcing them into modern-day slavery on their ancestral land.
“We will not allow ourselves to become beggars or slaves on the land we have cultivated for generations. We reject, in totality, any expansion by Dangote Sugar Refinery,” he added defiantly.
When approached for a response, Daniel Andrew, the Community Relations Officer of Dangote Sugar Refinery, declined to comment, citing personal health concerns.
The Dangote Sugar Refinery, owned by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is part of the Dangote Group, the largest industrial conglomerate in West Africa, with operations spanning 17 African countries.
Despite the ongoing dispute, Dangote’s fortune continues to soar, with a March 2025 report from Business Insider Africa estimating his net worth at $23 billion, a sharp rise from $13 billion in the previous year.
As the crisis unfolds, all eyes remain on the Nigerian government to see if it will step in and prevent what could become a full-blown land rights showdown between Dangote’s industrial empire and the farming communities fighting for survival.
PIONEER NEWS 