Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
The Tiv Supreme Council (Ijirtamen) has frowned at what it described as an attempt to change the narrative on the Benue killings by key officials in the Presidency and prominent politicians from Benue State.
In a communique issued at the end of the emergency meeting of the Tiv Supreme Council made available to newsmen yesterday in Makurdi, the traditional rulers said the development smacks of mockery on the sensibility of the Tiv people and Benue State as a whole.
The council stated that the attempt to change the narrative about the killings in the state was a disservice to the Tiv Nation at a time when most of the victims were yet to recover from the trauma of the herdsmen attack.
The communique reads in part, “the council urged all Tiv political actors and politicians to desist from making inflammatory statements over the barbaric and senseless killings of the people to avoid over heating the security situation in Tiv land.
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“Rather, some politicians particularly of Benue stock should find ways of preventing the killer herdsmen from further unleashing havoc on the Benue people. We are most pained to the bone , most particularly over the Mbalom killing, where deliberate attempts are made to change the story, knowing too well that the two Priests and seventeen parishioners were murdered by killer herdsmen on 24th April, 2018.
They also called on the federal government to fast-track the process of resettling the Benue Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) so that they can return to their ancestral homes as soon as possible.
The council while recalling that the Federal Government had earlier promised to assist the IDPs rebuild their homes appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to step up efforts in this regard.
The Council however commended the efforts of the Federal Government for putting in place an efficient security outfit in Benue code named Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) to curtail activities of killer herdsmen in Benue.
They also thanked Governor Samuel Ortom for ensuring the safety and security of Benue people even as they urged all politicians and youths to desist from political acts capable of generating tension, bad blood, acrimony and hatred within the polity for peace to reign in Benue State and Tiv land in particular.
“The council decried cultists and cult related activities in the land and sued for all stakeholders to support security agents in arresting the ugly trend. “Towards this end, Traditional Rulers, Vigilante Groups and Like restock Guards must imbibe intelligence gathering and information sharing mechanism for Law Enforcement Agencies to respond via quick action as desired.”
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