LAFIA – Two Tiv farmers on Thursday reportedly killed in an attack at Obosidima community over a land dispute in the Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
DAILY INDEPENDENT gathered that crisis broke out around the Nasarawa-Benue border communities between indigenous Alago and Tiv farmers in the area.
In a press statement made available to Journalists in Lafia,, President of the Tiv Youths Organisation in the state, Isaiah Audu, condemned the consistent attacks on his kinsmen, and called on the Nasarawa State government to urgently intervene in the matter.
He explained that the recent weeks had seen the Keana LGA on the brinks of collapse as a result of unending disagreements between the Tiv and Alago communities which has shattered the tranquillity that once characterized their coexistence.
Audu lamented that at a time when collective efforts were supposed to be channeled on farming to combat the hunger and starvation currently ravaging the country, precious lives of farmers were being lost on a regular basis due to the senseless violence in the area.
According to him, “We address the press today with profound sorrow, as we bear witness to the devastating erosion of peace in a community that had long enjoyed harmony.
“You would recall that on the 24th of June 2024, there was an attack at Bakin Kotar, a community at the border between Keana LGA of Nasarawa State and Guma LGA of Benue State. Some Alago persons were said to have been attacked in their farm. Numerous media organizations provided thorough and timely coverage of this reprehensible incident, bringing attention to the severity of the situation.
“In what was apparently described as a reprisal, innocent, law-abiding Tiv persons in Keana were attacked by persons suspected to be Alago. At the last count, at least four persons lost their lives in this attack. The corpses are still at the mortuary to this moment and two of the bodies are yet to be identified.
“That incident was widely condemned by all well-meaning citizens of the State. Security agents were also mobilized to the location to prevent any further escalation of the situation.
“Predictably, the youth were outraged and infuriated by the unwarranted and unjustified assaults, which sparked a strong reaction from them. On our part as an organization, we were able to calm the angry nerves of the Tiv people especially the youths, in the hope that the government, security agencies and traditional institutions will swing into action to apprehend the perpetrators of the dastardly act and bring them to justice.
“Unfortunately, to this point that we address the press, our desire for justice is yet to be fulfilled. Rather, the situation has aggravated, as there have been further attacks on innocent Tiv people whose only wish is to go about their lawful businesses without any threat to their lives or properties.
“On Tuesday, July 16, 2024, Adaga a Tiv village was attacked and lots of valuable properties were destroyed.
“Also, Obosidoma, another Tiv village in Keana was attacked in the early hours of Saturday, July 20, 2024. Two Tiv persons needlessly lost their lives in this attack with many more valuable properties lost.”
He, further called on the Tiv people across the state especially the youths to remain calm despite the undue provocations.
He added that the leadership of Tiv youth organisation was committed to collaborating with all relevant stakeholders to collectively work towards achieving sustainable and enduring peace in the area.
The Tiv Youths Organisation appeal to the Nasarawa State government to, as a matter of urgency, bring to an end, the wanton killing of his kinsmen in Keana LGA of the state.
Meanwhile, the President of the Alago Ikweyi Ggayi Development Union, Mohammed Oshafu, has denied that his kinsmen were behind the violence which recently sparked off in the area.
In a reaction the AIGDU President alleged that the Tiv farmers in the area had planned to forcefully take over their ancestral lands across their communities.
He said, “Before the farming season in Keana, the Alago people usually go to clear their farmlands in preparation for the farming season. But this time around, surprisingly, the Tiv farmers emerged from nowhere, stopping and threatening our people and claiming that the Tivs have decided to start farming in the area because it is not part of Nasarawa State.
Meanwhile, Governor Abdullahi Sule who spoke through his Commissioner for Humanitarian, Special Duties, and NGOs, Margaret Otaki Elayo, expressed deep concern over the unfortunate incident during a visit to the Internally Displaced Persons camps in the area.
While promising to investigate the remote cause of the crisis, the governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to adequately secure the lives and property of the residents across the 13 LGAs of the state.
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