*As armed herders allegedly kill 13 in Doma, 3 in Keana, burn 17 houses
*Police deny incident
The Tiv indigenes of Nasarawa State have appealed to the Federal and Nasarawa State Governments to urgently intervene in the ongoing attacks and killing of innocent Tiv people by armed herdsmen across the Southern part of the State.
President of the Tiv Development Association (TIDA) in Nassrawa State, Comrade Peter Ahemba make the appeal on Sunday while speaking with journalists in Lafia, the State Capital.
He alleged that the Tiv people had been targeted and singled out for attacks by heavily armed herdsmen, stressing that scores of innocent Tiv farmers have so far been murdered and displaced from their communities across
Doma, Keana, and Obi Local Government Areas of the State.
Ahemba further pointed out that an intelligence report at the disposal of the leadership of TIDA indicated that the heavily armed herders were mobilizing to launch more deadly attacks on Tiv settlements across the Southern zone and parts of Kokona and Nasarawa Local Governments of the State to ensure the total extermination of the Tiv nation out of the State.
“Scores of our people have so far been massacred by armed herders in the last few days and thousands displaced from across Doma, Keana, and Obi LGAs of the State”
“Chabo village has completely been reduced to ashes. We are calling on the State and Federal Governments to come to our aid by deploying adequate security operatives to our settlements in the affected LGAs. Our people are under siege and still trapped as all escape roots have been blocked by the herders”
The deadly attack was launched on Ajo village in Keana LGA, just as nine people have been killed and 17 hospitalized in Dalhatu Specialist Hospital, Lafia, General hospital Doma and some in Obi with various degrees of injuries.
“The entire Tiv Communities
in Doma, Obi and Keana know nothing about the airstrike. Our people are being killed and suffering for no sins of theirs. Thousands have been displaced while many others trapped in remote villages are being killed”
The TIDA President described the attacks as barbaric, noting that the Tiv people of the State knew nothing about the recent airstrike at the borders of Nasarawa and Benue States which was being used as a reason for the massive killing of the Tiv farmers and destruction of their property.
When contacted for confirmation. the Spokesman for the Police Command in Nasarawa State, DSP Ramham Nansel denied the allegation.
He, however, said information got to them that there were attacks in Obi Local Government Area of the State, but on getting there nothing was discovered by policemen deployed to the area
According to him, “as we speak, the DPO, the Area Commander, and the Obi Local Government Chairman are currently in the area just to discover that nothing is happening in the area.
” I do not know where these people are getting their information. The issue of killing is a sensitive mather that people should not just wake up and raised alarm. Caution has to be taken not to instigate a crisis in the State. Sincerely speaking, I don’t have this information” the PPRO declared.
