By SpringNewsNG Media Limited
March 4, 2025

Residents of Bakka Lafiagi in the Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State are enraged after a heavy-duty truck belonging to the BUA Group destroyed the community’s only bridge, cutting them off from their farmlands and homes.

Videos obtained by SaharaReporters show frustrated residents confronting the truck driver, expressing their anger over BUA Group’s failure to take responsibility for the destruction.

Some of them confirmed that the BUA truck was responsible for the initial damage, forcing the community to construct a makeshift bridge using available materials. “We demand that the company repairs it immediately. This is not the first time they have destroyed our infrastructure without compensation,” a resident stated.

This incident has further fueled discontent over BUA Group’s presence in Edu LGA. In 2023, SaharaReporters documented how residents accused the company of land grabbing and failing to deliver on its promises of economic development.

Farmers lamented that BUA took over their ancestral lands in 2014, promising job creation and infrastructure development, but left them in hardship.

“When BUA came, they said we would benefit, but nine years later, they have only brought us suffering,” said Muhammed Abubakar, a resident.

“They took our farmland, gave us a token compensation of N7,600, and left us with nothing.”

Another resident, Umar Muhammad, criticized the company for failing to deliver on its promises. “We have been waiting for nine years, yet nothing has changed. If they are not ready to work, they should return our lands so we can farm.”

For many locals, the destruction of the bridge is yet another example of BUA Group’s disregard for their welfare. With the rainy season fast approaching, the absence of the bridge will make it impossible for residents to transport farm produce, worsening their economic situation.

“They took our husbands’ farmland and left them with nothing,” said Maryam, a local woman. “Our roads are destroyed by their trucks, yet they won’t fix them. Our children have no jobs because they won’t even hire us. BUA has brought nothing but hardship.”

As tensions escalate, residents have issued a stern ultimatum to the BUA Group, demanding immediate action to repair the bridge and fulfill their obligations to the community.

However, as of the time of filing this report, BUA Group has yet to respond to the growing outrage.