The Benue Youth Forum, has observed that the proposed cattle colonies to be situated in the Tiv communities living on the borders of Nasarawa and Benue state was an attempt to push the Tiv ethnic groups away from their ancestral homes.
The move according to a statement issued by Terrence Faeren Kuanum,President, Benue Youth Forum was to initiate a communal clash between the communities in Benue and Nasarawa States.
The statement noted, “We see this as an attempt to push the Tiv ethnic groups away from their ancestral homes and also initiate a communal clash between communities in Benue and Nasarawa states.
“We wish to formally state our strong opposition to this deliberate attempt to displace the Tiv of Nasarawa State from their ancestral lands.
“We call on both the federal and state government agencies to reverse this unpopular decision as the cattle colonies would create more crisis in the country.
“No State in Nigeria can afford to cede the enormous land being proposed for the colonies, which are in fact being viewed as an attempt to assist the Fulani to achieve their openly stated agenda of occupying the Benue Valley.
“We also note with displeasure claims by the Governor of Nasarawa State Tanko Almakura that internally displaced persons, IDPs, from Benue State are being harboured in camps in Nasarawa State.
“We view this as a deliberate attempt by the Governor to displace the indigenous Tiv of Nasarawa State from their ancestral homes.
“We advise the Nasarawa state Governor to desist from this misadventure as intense investigations have revealed that no indigene of Benue State is in any camp in Nasarawa state.
“We are strongly of the view that Almakura’s claims are an attempt at covering up his administration’s agenda of ethnic cleansing in his state.
“We are aware that Tiv people living in Nasarawa are being systematically killed or otherwise sacked from their ancestral homes by Fulani militias and their farms being taken over by the said militias.
“We reiterate that all the displaced people staying in any IDP camp in Nasarawa State is bona fide indigene of that state.”
The forum called on security agencies to immediately beam their search light on the carnage in Nasarawa State before a whole ethnic nationality would be wiped out.
Benue Youth Forum appealed to Tiv brethren in Nasarawa State to remain law abiding, assuring that the forum would do everything legally possible to stop incursion on their ancestral homes.
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