YouNewsng Discover. Succeed. Enjoy
By, Joke Thomas
Chairman of the Benue State Traditional Council, Tor Tiv, Orchivirigh Prof. James Ayatse, is getting kudos here and there for point blank statements made when Tinubu visited yesterday.
He had praised President Tinubu for being the first sitting President to personally visit victims in the hospital in the wake of such a tragedy.
On the recurring spate of insecurity in the state, the monarch took time to address misinformation and mischaracterisation, saying that land grabbing was at the core of the decades-long conflict.
“Your Excellency, it is not herder-farmer clashes. It is not communal clashes. It is not reprisal attacks or skirmishes.
“What we are dealing with here in Benue is a calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land-grabbing campaign by herder-terrorists and bandits,” the monarch told Tinubu.
He cautioned that mischaracterising the crisis had led to inadequate responses and accused some political actors of exploiting the situation for selfish gains.
“Politicians in the state are busy politicising the crisis, passing blames instead of joining hands to address the crisis. We hear that some politicians would even prefer that the crisis worsen, so it would serve as a basis for declaring a state of emergency.
“This is unfortunate. Any politician who prays for more people to die for such a project is working against the wishes of the people of Benue State,” he said.
He therefore appealed to President Tinubu to restore peace to the state and every part of Nigeria.
“All we ask of you, sir, is to stop our weeping. Give us peace in Benue State, so our people, primarily farmers, can return to their farms and continue to produce food for Nigeria.
“I heard a story about a challenge in a place in Kwara State, and you rose and gave them peace in Kaiama. You can do that for Benue.”
The traditional ruler and Chairman of Benue Traditional Council said his people had made a lot of sacrifices to keep Nigeria united and wondered why they were being isolated for extermination.
“Many of our people died during the civil war; we paid the supreme price to keep this country united.
“There is genocide going on in our land. It is not clashes, but a well-orchestrated, well-coordinated attack aimed at wiping out our people.
“We know you are a courageous leader. You are a focused leader. You are a determined leader. You have the courage and the political will to end this menace.
‘You have taken hard decisions and actions that many people before you did not dare.
“You have handled the subsidy removal challenge of this country. The exchange rate investment decisions, you have taken them.
“I believe you can give us peace. All we ask of you is peace,” he said.
The paramount ruler said the people, who were largely farmers, needed peace so that they would continue farming.
He, however, expressed concerns that the farmers had been chased away from their farms by the bloodthirsty invaders.
The Tor Tiv told the President that Tiv people in Nasarawa State were suffering the same fate, as they too had been chased away from their ancestral homes in some LGAs.
According to Ayatse, Tiv people’s lands have been taken from them, and they have been labelled as settlers.
“They have been in Nasarawa State before the 18th century. They cannot be settlers. They need to go back to their ancestral homes to continue with their lives,” he said.
Ayatse lauded Tinubu for coming personally to identify with Benue people in their moment of grief.
He assured the president that the people of Benue who supported him in 2023 would continue to stand with him.
