From Henry Ibya, Makurdi
Over 6,718 indigenous Tiv farmers displaced due to killings in Nasarawa State have allegedly been abandoned by Governor Abdullahi Sule.
According to the President of United Farmers Association of the Benue Valley,AUFBV, Chief Dennis Gbongbon, about 314 Tiv communities were invaded and sacked in Southern Nasarawa State.
Gbongbon, in a statement made available to journalists Thursday in Makurdi after a presentation at a security town hall meeting in Jos, Plateau State, described the situation as a “well-planned, calculated genocide, ethnic cleansing and land grabbing campaign launched and sponsored by organised terror groups” and local leaders including traditional rulers in Southern Nasarawa State.
He accused Governor Sule of remaining silent on security issues affecting farmers and joining traditional rulers in grabbing farmland belonging to them.
Gbongbon cited specific incidents, including the massacre of over 394 Tiv farmers and Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in Keana Local Government Area on June 26-28, 2024 and alleged that the police refused to investigate the killings.
He also accused traditional rulers in Southern Nasarawa State of hosting terrorists and militias, who attack farmers in several states, including Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, Kogi, Taraba and Niger.
The AUFBV president called on government to take immediate action to address the crisis and provide support to the displaced farmers.
