TYO, in a communique issued at the end of its extra-ordinary general/security congress to review security of Tiv people across Taraba, Nasarawa, Benue, Kwara, Plateau and other states of the federation
By Henry Ibya, Makurdi
The Tiv Youth Organisation, TYO, has called on the President Bola Tinubu to, as a matter of urgency, direct the immediate withdrawal of soldiers since the Nigerian Armed Forces have failed to protect the Tiv people who have been made vulnerable to attacks and killings under the watch of security personnel on daily basis.
TYO, in a communique issued at the end of its extra-ordinary general/security congress to review security of Tiv people across Taraba, Nasarawa, Benue, Kwara, Plateau and other states of the federation held in Gboko the headquarters of Tiv nation made available to newsmen, Wednesday, in Makurdi, explained that they have lost confidence in the soldiers under whose watch Tiv people are killed on daily basis like fowls.
The communique signed by comrades Bughse Teghtegh, Dennis Gbongbon, Buter Ternenge and Namakaa Ternenge, TYO also demanded for the last time release of the bodies and corpses of about 394 Tiv people killed between June 23 and July 4 last year in Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa State including serving corps members, internally displaced persons among others.
TYO recalled with displeasure that Governor Hyacinth Alia, sometime last year, placed a ban on all illegal mining activities in the state, but expressed worry why gold mining activities have continued in Kwande Local Government Area, alleging that scores of people are being killed on daily basis with others displaced from their ancestral homes and expressed worry why the Chinese who the people suspected are the brain behind the illegal gold mining are still very free, alive carrying out their daily mining and exploitative activities, insisting that a clarification be made available to them.
The Tiv Youth Organisation condemned, in strong terms, attacks and continuous killing of its citizens, the illegal mining, land grabbing, displacement of Tiv people in their ancestral homes and assets, insisted that as peace-loving people who are the most accommodating ethnicity in Nigeria, they were not in any communal clash or at war with any other ethnic group in the country and therefore, deserves peace.
TYO Advised Tiv sons and daughters to place the interest of Tiv people higher than any personal interest and urged the Special Adviser to the Governor on Home Security, Commodore Jacob Gbamwuan (Rtd) to tender unreserved apology to the Tiv nation for what they described as misleading information in a section of the media where he claimed there are no killings in Benue State.
TYO while commending Governor Hyacinth Alia for his vision to unit all the security outfits in the state under one body , provision of operational vehicles and security gadgets for effective operation, equally thanked the Tor Tiv HRM Professor James Ayatse and the entire Tiv traditional council for their good intentions to stop calamities in Tiv land to ensure that peace returns.
Tiv Youth Organisation, TYO equally, urged Governor Alia to caution Commodore Gbamwuan (Rtd) and direct him to channel his wealth of experience towards effective enforcement of the anti-open grazing law enacted by Benue people rather than making statements that undermines the sufferings of the people.