Tofa Settlement
Community Action with Support from Paralegals
Tofa is a remote settlement in Rano LGA of Kano State. It is mainly surrounded by rocks, and the village dwellers are mostly farmers or
animal rearers. Abu Daso Quarry Company was using explosives to break the rocks to sell to construction companies. This was hazardous to the community as it was causing cracks in their buildings and killing their animals due to falling rocks.
Through word of mouth, the community heard about Rano Legal Clinic Centre, so they sent a representative to report the case to the paralegals. With support from the paralegals, a letter was drafted and delivered to concerned authorities including the Office of the Special Adviser to Kano State Government on Solid Mineral Resources, as well as the company.
After a series of follow up sessions by both IWEI and the paralegals, the Special Adviser and her team went to the village to investigate the allegations and assess the damage caused by the company. Thereafter a meeting was organized with the Company, the Emir of Rano, paralegals and representatives from Tofa in order to settle the issue.
Following a series of meetings, an agreement was finally reached and those who had suffered damage to their buildings accepted compensation (monetary & building materials) and an apology from the Company. The company no longer operates in that area as they could not meet the terms of the agreement, which was essentially to use modern equipment.