July 31, (THEWILL) – The Tiv Socio-Cultural Group, the Mdzough U Tiv worldwide, has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to ascertain the remote causes, ending the killing of Tiv people and land grabbing in Nasarawa State.
President-General of the Group, Controller General of Prisons, Iorbee Ihyagh (rtd), made the call while playing host to members of the Association of United Farmers Benue-Valley, on Tuesday at his Makurdi residence.
He also appealed to President Tinubu to intervene immediately and direct all service chiefs to investigate, arrest and bring suspected perpetrators to justice.
CP Ihyagh, who promised to inform the Tor Tiv, Professor James Ayatse of the development, pledged to make a follow-up over the matter to see that justice is served.
He advised governors of Nasarawa and Benue State to work together to return peace, rebuild all houses destroyed as well as return IDPs and farmers to go on with farming and protect them from further attacks.
“Government has to fish out personnel allegedly involved in the act and dislodge the Buzaye Herder militias camping on ancestry farmland to allow farmers to carry out farming peacefully”.
The President-General, therefore, appealed to Humanitarian organisations to assist IDPs and farmers with relief materials to reduce hardship.
Earlier, the President of the Association of United Farmers Benue-Valley (AUFBV), Mr Dennis Denen Utsa, appealed to CP Ihyagh, to raise his voice and intervene in the killings of Tiv farmers in Keana Local Government Area, by Alago militia in connivance with military and Policemen posted to the area.
He alleged that their motive was to grab ancestry farmland of Tiv farmers and eject them from the area.
According to him, innocent farmers, students and corps members were allegedly killed in Keana town and called on the Mdzough U Tiv, to seek justice on their behalf, as IDPs of Obosidoma, Kuduku, Boutsa, Demaka, Sule, madi, Ngur, Ayua are in large numbers.
“There were killings, invasion of houses, looting of property in Keana market. Seek justice on behalf of the family of Zeger for the gruesome murder of Mrs Yavihi Zeger, who was killed and beheaded”.
While calling the Socio-cultural body to ensure the immediate return of IDPs and farmers to their communities, Mr Utsa urged the Nasarawa State government to protect and give fair treatment to Tiv farmers in the state.
