As the massacre and attacks on communities in Benue State by armed herdsmen terrorists continues unabated, the Tiv Youths in Diaspora (TYD) have written to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu urging him to urgently wade into the over 16-year old violent attacks and killings to save the lives of remaining people of the state.
Besides, the youths particularly of the Tiv extraction, told President Tinubu that ‘the aim of the prolonged and savage aggression is to deliberately and systematically execute campaign of ethnic cleansing and land grabbing to annihilate the Tiv people, obliterate our rich cultural heritage, and extinguish our very way of life from the face of the earth’.
The President General of TYD world wide, Aondona Terwase, Secretary General of the association, Tuleun Terhemen and three others in their message to President Tinubu exclusively released to New Telegraph in Makurdi, Benue State, expressed deep concern over the level of devastation the attacks and killings by armed Fulani herdsmen has caused people of the state.
They stated that for a period of over 16 years, ‘the Tiv communities have suffered unbearable violence with villages destroyed, lives taken, and our people uprooted’, stressing that the attacks have continued brazenly and unabated a situation he maintained, has motivated them to rise up and push for an end to it.
Terwase said, “We, the Tiv Youth in Diaspora, speak out with heavy hearts and unwavering determination to denounce the ceaseless killings and devastation in Benue State by Fulani herdsmen.
“For over 16 years, our Tiv communities have suffered unbearable violence – villages destroyed, lives taken, and our people uprooted. These have continued brazenly and unabated, but we unanimously demand that this must end now!
“We solemnly and unequivocally declare this prolonged and savage aggression to be a deliberate and systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing and land grabbing, meticulously designed to annihilate the Tiv people, obliterate our rich cultural heritage, and extinguish our very way of life from the face of the earth.
“This deliberate attempt at ethnic cleansing and land grabbing against the Tiv nation by the Fulani herdsmen began as far back as early 1804 when their leader, Usman Danfodio, attempted to conquer the Benue Valley. Historical accounts indicate that our forefathers successfully defeated him, thwarting his efforts.
“In a similar vein, several attempts have been made from other states, such as Taraba and Nasarawa, where they succeeded in displacing our people from the lands inherited from our ancestors. Many Tiv towns and villages in these states were taken from us, renamed, and we no longer have authority over them.
“The same situation occurred with the constituencies that the Tiv people occupied in both the National and State Assemblies from these two states. Currently, there is a concerted effort to replicate this situation in Benue State.
“We urgently and fervently demand that all elected leaders across Benue State cast aside all petty political rivalries and differences, come together in a powerful and united front alongside local communities, security agencies, and civil society organizations to devise and implement comprehensive, effective strategies that will safeguard our people and restore lasting peace and security to our ancestral lands.
“We earnestly and passionately appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take swift and decisive federal action by deploying adequate unbiased and highly professional security personnel to our ravaged state, establishing robust peacekeeping missions to quell the violence, and launching a thorough, transparent investigation into the horrific atrocities inflicted upon our defenseless people, thereby fulfilling the government’s sacred constitutional duty to protect every citizen and uphold the rule of law without delay”.
The BYD vowed not to remain silent in the face of gross injustice and suffering, but stand in resolute solidarity with the beleaguered people, to lend their voices tirelessly to the righteous struggle, and “implored all leaders, citizens, and stakeholders to rise up and join them in the fight for justice, security, and a hopeful, prosperous future where communities of Benue Valley and beyond can once again flourish in peace and dignity”.
“Enough is enough. We demand justice for the Tiv Nation and peace for Benue valley”.
