Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo

The Tiv Cultural and Social Association (TCSA), in Taraba State, on Monday, petitioned the Federal Government over continued attacks and killings of Tiv and other farmers in the state, alleging that it was a deliberate scheme to destabilise farmers and steal their harvests.

In the petition issued, in Jalingo and signed by the association’s President, Mr. Goodman Dahida, the group said about a 100 persons had been killed by armed herdsmen and over 20,000 displaced across the state.

Dahida said 32 of his members were killed in separate attacks in Ibi, Wukari and Gassol local government areas and whole villages sacked, thereby worsening the pressure on the improvised Internally Displaced Persons IDPs camps in the state.

“In Ibi local government area,  eight people were killed in Gishiri and Dooshima, one in Ibua and a village head killed in Kaamen village.

“Between 1st and 2nd February alone, 5 people were slaughtered in Amande Jembe in Wukari local government, four were killed in Ngutswen village near Wurojam in Gassol LGA and six killed in Dan-Anacha and its environs, bringing the total to 32 from January to date,” he said.

He condemned the killings going on in the country as well as comments from persons especially on the social media, insinuating that the Tiv and the Fulani nations were at war.

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He continued, “We are not at war with the Fulani and we are not contemplating war with any group. We are a peace loving people who are predominantly farmers and our determination for peaceful coexistence is unwavering.

“In the pursuant of peace, we have directed our traditional rulers to help in fishing out criminals among our people and we appeal to the leadership of Miyetti Allah to equally do same to help stop these unprovoked attacks and killings for peace to reign,” he said.

While appreciating Governor Darius Ishaku for his efforts at finding peace in the state which he said was the reason for the enactment of the open grazing prohibition and ranches establishment law, Dahida called on the herders to take advantage of the ongoing sensitization about the law key into it for the peace and development of the state.

He noted that the inability of the Federal Government to deal decisively with the situation as in the case of Boko Haram, cattle rustling  in Zamfara State and the threat to oil installations in the Niger Delta has called to question the integrity and sincerity of the Buhari led administration and appeal to the President to treat the killings in the country as a national emergency.