…Say Sultan Of Sokoto Should Apologize To The Tiv Race For Calling Them Cattle Thieves
Mzough U Tiv (MUT), the Tiv sociocultural organisation has lamented the killings in Benue State in the last two months, adding that about 147 persons in the state were killed by attacks on communities in the state by armed herdsmen in the last two months.
The MUT also called on the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, to apologize to the Tiv race for calling them cattle thieves while speaking at a function last week.
The MUT which appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in the killings by herders in the state, reiterated the need to empower Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), and also deploy more men to the spike operation, to make it more effective in delivering on its mandate to check criminality in the state.
In the statement signed by the President General, MUT, CP Iorbee Ihagh rtd and made available to Daily Independent in Makurdi on Thursday, Ihagh said MUT is calling on the three State Governments, that is the Government of Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba States, to empower Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), the military spike operation, operating in the three states to deliver on their mandate.
He said, “We call on the Federal Government, FG, to work out modalities at ensuring that Operation Whirl Stroke has enough manpower to handle the challenges confronting it, in its Joint Area of Operations, JAO, in view of the increase in activities of these herdsmen militia, that has hindered Benue people from going to the farms.
“MUT is aware that it may be impossible to have the needed manpower that OPWS deserves, however, we are aware that the manpower that OPWS has at the moment is a far cry from what it needs to tackle the challenges staring it in the face at the moment.
“However, we wish to seize this opportunity to commend officers and men of OPWS, under the Command of Major General Sunday Igbinomwanhia for their resilience so far. We believe that given the needed manpower and empowerment by the three State Governors (Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states), they can produce more results.
“MUT recalls that during the administration of Senator Gabriel Suswam, a former Governor of the State, he cried out to the then President, His Excellency, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan over the incessant killings in the State and soldiers from the Southern part of the country were drafted to Benue, and they were able to bring the situation under control.
“This can also be applied in this instance to check the killings in the State, which has become a daily occurrence”, he observed.
On the killings in the state by armed herders, in the last two months, Ihagh said, “These unprovoked and unwarranted attacks by armed militia herdsmen has taken a toll on farming activities and peasant farmers in the State, who are the main producers of food that has been the main stay of the food needs of the Benue people and indeed the people of our nation, Nigeria.
“Now, the rains are about to set in and farmers need to cultivate the land. But if the activities of these armed herders are not effectively checked, it will adversely affect farmers and subsequently their yield.
“The surge in the killings at a time when the nation is battling with the issue of food insecurity needs to be tackled with all sincerity and forcefully too. We believe that the era of handling the issue of insecurity with kid gloves as pertain herdsmen attacks is over.
“Also, the surge in the rate of attacks and kidnappings in the North West and North East, is an indication that now, more than ever before, the military should step up its act by pushing these criminal elements Northwards and finally out of the country to where they belong.
“We have witnessed times where these elements have connived with natives of other communities and caused mayhem. A recent case study is the collaboration between some of these bandits with a local militia group in Ukum Local Government Area, LGA of Benue State, where many lives were lost about two weeks ago.
“The flash points of these killings last year and early this year had been in Makurdi and Guma LGAs. However, in the last two months there has been a shift from these areas to Gwer East LGA, even though pockets of killings are still going on in the aforementioned areas.
“As Chairman of the three sociocultural organisations in the State, I also wish to identify with our brothers and sisters in Benue South senatorial district (Zone C), who are witnessing killings in their areas, almost on a daily basis.”
Further buttressing his point with figures, Ihagh said, “From the data available to us, the state may have lost about 147 persons to herdsmen militia attacks in the last two months. The number of deaths at our disposal are reported cases, but we strongly believe that the number of those killed could be higher, given that there were pockets of deaths across Benue State, that may not have been reported.
“For want of space, we may not be able to give you a detailed account of names and communities where these killings occured in the last two months but I believe that these communities are well known to all, especially the media. However, MUT will give you the number of recorded deaths based on the killings in the three Senatorial Zones of Benue in the last two months.
“During the period under review, the death of 70 persons were recorded in Zone A (Benue North East); a breakdown of the figures show that 20 deaths were purely from attacks by herdsmen, while the remaining 45 killings occured with local militia groups, acting in connivance with herdsmen militia.
“In Zone B (Benue North West), about 10 persons were killed in Gwer West and 17 others in Gwer East, bringing the total to about 27 persons who lost their lives to attacks by the bandits, whereas in Zone C (Benue South), no fewer than 50 persons were killed by these criminal elements.
“Cries by individuals and groups, over these killings have fallen on deaf ears, hence we decided it is appropriate for us to also take our cries to the President and Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C), of Nigeria’s Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom we have so much confidence in and trust that he has the capacity to end these mindless killings that are going on in Benue State”, the President General of MUT stressed.
In another development, the President General, MUT has asked the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar to apologize to the Tiv nation for calling them thieves.
He said, “I also call on the Sultan of Sokoto and President of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, to retract and tender an unreserved apology to the Tiv nation over the statement he made, calling Tiv people thieves.
“The Tiv people have a long standing relationship with the Fulani people, where the Tiv, who are great farmers, offer the Fulani, food in exchange for beef. The statement credited to the Sultan saying that the Tiv people stole their cows, was coming at the height of the killings in Benue was not worthy of a person of the standing of the Sultan of Sokoto”, he declared.
“Finally, we wish to appreciate our President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for all the interventions, programmes and projects to Benue State, under his Renewed Hope Agenda.
“The Mzough U Tiv, MUT, also commend the works of our Governor, Rev Fr Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, for giving the people of Benue State a new lease of life.
“We also wish to make it unequivocally clear, that we stand with the State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, in his quest to rid the state of these bandits by enforcing the Benue Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, 2017”, he emphasized.
