The Mbaterem Community in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State, on Wednesday, accused the State Government of not showing enough commitment in ending the Jukun/Tiv crisis which began on April 1, 2019.
The group while calling on the Federal government and the International community to intervene in bringing a lasting solution to the crisis, alleged that there was a plot by state and non-state actors to evict the Tiv people out of Wukari local government to take over their land and make them stateless.
This is contained in a press statement issued in Jalingo and signed by the group chairman, Nicholas Azege, and Secretary, Edward Haanongon.
The statement read partly, “there is a grand plan to evict the entire Tiv people out of Wukari. At the moment, a very large portion of land belonging to the Tiv people in the local government and estimated to cover over 27km square, and other areas have been demarcated and shared among top Jukun people.
“The area in question covers Tiv villages of Zege-Ate, Ikyernum, Daa, IKyaayaa, Ikyo-gbolum, Tar Orshi, Tor-Musa and-Iorshaer.
“It is obvious that the Taraba state government which last year set up a committee to resettle Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Chonku and Assa Chiefdoms in the local government is not committed to ending the crisis.
“No progress has been made by the resettlement committee and our people are languishing in IDPs camps in Benue and Taraba state. Thousand of people were evacuated by the State government from Kurmi to Chanchanji and they have been abandoned.
“The state government is not doing anything to end the crisis and return the people to their homes. As we write, graves of our parents and family members are being removed.
“Our economic trees are being destroyed on daily basis. Those who attempted to return to their ancestral lands to rebuild their destroyed homes were attacked and killed,” the statement read.
The group also condemned the recent killing of Tiv people in Wukari town and called on the Taraba State government to ensure the protection of lives and property.
Responding to the accusation, Special Adviser to Governor Darius Ishaku on Media and Publicity, Mr Bala Dan-Abu, said the government will not support anything that will not promote peaceful coexistence of tribal communities.
Dan-Abu said the governor in 2015 returned all displaced persons to their communities and will do the same this time.
He assured that all displaced persons will be returned to their land and nobody will be unfairly treated.
“It is unfair for the Tiv people who benefited from the gesture by the Governor in 2015 to turn and accuse the governor of frustrating their return.
“Government will do everything to ensure peaceful co-existence in the State and all displaced persons will be returned to their communities,” he assured.
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