The pan-socio-cultural group of the Tiv Nation in Benue State, generally known as Mzough U Tiv Worldwide, on Thursday said that no fewer than 147 folks have been killed by suspected armed herdsmen and militias within the state prior to now two months.
This was when the group demanded an apology from the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'advert Abubakar, for allegedly insinuating that Tiv folks have been cow thieves.
The president common of the socio-cultural group, Iorbee Ihagh, a retired jail controller, said this in a press release on Thursday.
Ihagh regretted that information from the three senatorial districts of the state confirmed that 70 deaths have been recorded in Zone A, 27 deaths in Zone B and 50 folks died in Zone C.
He stated: “In keeping with the information out there to us, the state might have misplaced about 147 individuals to assaults by herdsmen militias within the final two months.
“The variety of deaths we now have are reported instances however we’re assured that the variety of deaths may very well be larger as there have been many deaths in Benue State that will have gone unreported.
“For lack of house, we might not be capable to offer you an in depth account of the names and communities the place these killings occurred over the previous two months, however I consider these communities are well-known to everybody, particularly the media.
“The MUT, nonetheless, provides you with the variety of deaths recorded based mostly on the killings within the three senatorial zones of Benue within the final two months.
“In the course of the interval beneath assessment, Zone A (Benue North East) recorded the deaths of 70 individuals; A breakdown of the figures reveals that 20 deaths resulted solely from assaults by herders, whereas the remaining 45 killings occurred by native militias, performing in coordination with the herders' militias.
“In Zone B (Benue North West), about 10 individuals have been killed in Gwer West and 17 others in Gwer East, bringing the full to about 27 individuals who misplaced their lives on account of assaults by the bandits, whereas in Zone C (Benue South ), no fewer than 50 individuals have been killed by these prison parts.”
Ihagh additionally referred to as on the Sultan of Sokoto and the Chairman of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs “to withdraw an unconditional apology and problem an unconditional apology to the Tiv nation over the assertion he made through which he referred to as Tiv folks thieves.”
He stated: “The Tiv folks have a longstanding relationship with the Fulani folks the place the Tiv, who’re nice farmers, provide meals to the Fulani in alternate for beef. The assertion attributed to the Sultan that the Tiv folks had stolen their cows got here on the peak of the killings in Benue and was undeserving of an individual of the stature of the Sultan of Sokoto.
The Tiv socio-cultural group chief referred to as on the Federal Authorities to finish insecurity within the state by authorizing the Operation Whirl Stroke, saddled with the duty of tackling insecurity in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states to take.