Tiv Monarchs Want Herdsmen Out Of Benue By Month End

THE Tiv Traditional Council has given herders occupying ancestral lands and farmers’ homes in the Tiv Kingdom in Benue State up to the end of May to leave to allow farmers to return and cultivate their farms and avoid the looming hunger in Nigeria.
The Council gave the directives during its emergency meeting in the palace of the Tor Tiv in Gboko, expressing worry that farming activities in the kingdom have been truncated as a result of the occupation of farmlands by herders in nine out of the 14 Tiv-speaking local councils- Kwande, Katsina-Ala, Logo, Ukum, Guma, Makurdi, Gwer West, Gwer Eas, and Buruku.
The council bemoaned the sustained attacks and killings that have made many farmers flee their farmlands and crops at the mercy of the herders occupying their homes, who allow their cattle to feed on the crops, thereby causing acute hunger in thekingdeom, Benue and Nigeria as a whole.
The monarchs also requested the Governor Hyacinth Alia-led administration to create an enabling environment for herders’ peaceful exit from the farmlands and facilitate the resumption of farming activities.
The Council, chaired by the paramount ruler of the Tiv nation, Ochivirigh Professor James Ayatse, appealed to all herders to vacate all Tiv lands before the expiration of the time to allow farmers return and cultivate their farms and avoid the looming hunger in the country.
A communique signed by the Council’s Secretary, Shinyi Tyozua, directed all political and traditional rulers in the affected local councils to peacefully engage the herders to ensure their exit from the affected communities.
The Council lamented that ‘farming activities in the kingdom have ceased due to the occupation of farmlands by herders whose sustained attacks and killings have made farmers to flee their ancestral home, whom the herders are currently occupying, and if the situation continues like this, without any drastic action, more people will be impoverish, there will be hunger with high increase in criminal activities”
In a communiqué signed by the Council’s secretary, Shinyi Tyozua, the traditional leaders, at the meeting attended by all graded traditional rulers from across the Tiv Kingdom, expressed grave concern over the persistent attacks and killings of farmers by armed herders, particularly in the Local Government Areas of Kwande, Katsina-Ala, Logo, Ukum, Guma, Makurdi, Gwer-West, Gwer-East and Buruku.
It stated: “These unprovoked attacks have disrupted farming activities at a critical time. If the trend continues, it could lead to mass hunger and exacerbate the ongoing national food crisis.
“The Council, therefore, RESOLVED, amongst other things to ‘appeal to all herders in Tiv Kingdom in Benue State to vacate all Tiv lands before the end of May 2025 to allow farmers return and cultivate their farms in order to avoid the hunger ahead in the nation.
“Request the state government to kindly create the enabling environment to allow herders’ peaceful exit of farmlands in Tiv Kingdom to facilitate resumption of farming activities.”
Ayati called on the leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) to expel the killer herders, saying they could not claim ignorance of the activities of criminal herders in the state.
In a related development, the Tor Tiv, while reacting to a statement by the National President of MACBAN, Baba Ngelzarma, represented by Adamu Lawalwho, who at a meeting in Makurdi, blamed “criminal elements” for the attacks and killings in Benue, likened the situation to “a case where mechanics are there and mad men have joined them; they all dressed the same way.
“If you come here and tell us that there are a few criminal elements that have joined the herders and are spoiling the show for all of you, the first thing you need to do is drive away the mad people among you.”
He said the original herders he grew up knowing were peaceful, armed only with a staff to guide their cattle and considerate enough to avoid destroying farmlands, in contrasted with the current herders, whom he described as “criminal herders carrying assault rifles, killing our people, raping our women and daughters, grazing on our land and destroying our crops.
“What we have now are not the herders we knew; these ones are armed, violent and have taken over entire communities, forcing people to flee their homes.”
The Tor Tiv recounted a past meeting with northern traditional rulers where the idea of not changing the culture of a people overnight was raised, noting the violence being perpetrated was not part of the nomadic culture he once knew.
“Any culture that is killing people, taking over their livelihood and destroying their properties does not require one second notice; that culture must end immediately.”
He offered safe and fertile grazing lands to genuine herders, but warned against intruding on farmlands and destroying livelihoods, saying: “If you come with herds, we will show you where the ground is fertile and the grass is green.
“But if you come onto our farms, killing people and destroying our crops, that is an alien culture that cannot be tolerated in Benue State.”
The Tor Tiv urged MACBAN: “Deal with your internal issues. If you say they are mad men and you do not know them, you know them. They dress like you, they talk like you, they carry AK-47. You cannot deceive us.
“First, deal with the mad men among you and come and present yourself clean; we will accept you. We have always done it; it’s just that things have changed.”