News Editor
By David Odama
The Alago nation of Nasarawa State, have Thursday reacted to claims by the Tiv people of the state over land disputes that erupted in some communities.
It would be recalled that the Tiv community had in a 25 page letter dated July 16, 2024 and signed by Barr. Bartholomew Iorkpen, of O.G Akaaka &Co Lafia, Nasarawa State, and addressed to President Tinubu, Gov Sule and copied to the Senate President and Speaker House of representatives.
Others copied the petition include, Secretary to Government of the Federation, George Akume, Chief Judge of the federation, IG of Police, DG DSS, DG National Boundary Commission, Foreign Embassies and others.
The Alago nation in it’s reactions in a rejoinder to President Bola Tinubu and Governor Abdullahi Sule, over the alleged land grabbing, said their action followed a letter written by Tiv in the state to the President, alleging land grabbing, discrimination, dehumanisation and destruction of crops in parts of Awe, Keana and Obi local government areas.
The Alago nation in a rejoinder dated 12th August, 2024 sent only to President Tinubu and Governor Sule, signed by President of Alago Development Association, Alh. Amin Dan Elegu, FCNA and BOT chairman, elder Damian Adi Sabo, gave all the claims a wave of hand.
Alago letter was captioned “RE:-Protest against indiscriminate grabbing of Tiv ancestral lands and destruction of their farm crops without due process. Discrimination, dehumanisation, torture and massacring of Tiv citizens in parts of Awe, Obiand Keana local government areas Nasarawa State and Federal Government, etc”
“The attention of the entire Alago Nation has been drawn to a petition submitted to the President of the Federal republic of Nigeria by the Tiv community in Nasarawa State on the above subject matter”
“Ordinarily, the Alago Nation would have ignored these spurious and provocative claims of the Tiv people as we have always done in the past, but for the fact that the lands in question are mostly in Alago territories and the names of some prominent Alago paramount rulers have been mentioned in the petition. It is also necessary in order to correct the gross misrepresentations and put the records straight for the world to know”
“The Tiv people claim in their petition that they have been in Nasarawa State for over three hundred years and have been occupying farm lands as their ancestral inheritance. They also stated that they were the most populated single tribe in the “Munshi Province” (sic) among sundry claims”
“Contrary to these claims, extant records regarding the history of Tiv people in Nigeria, show that they migrated from the Congo and sojourned in the Cameroun before eventually moving into Nigeria in the 19th century. It is also pertinent to note that there is nowhere in any history books to show that there was any “Munshi (Munchi) Province” in the history of Nigeria”
“There was however a Muri Province, which encapsulated Munshi Division and Lafia Division (Present Nasarawa South Senatorial District) as separate entities within the Benue Province as a later creation. It is also on record that at the inception of colonial administration in Nigeria, the indigenous tribes found in the former Lafia Division (Present Nasarawa South Senatorial District) were the Migili (Koro), Alago, Akye, Jukuns, Gwandara and Kanuri”
“The fact of history is that the Tiv people came through Keana District during the reign of Osana Eladoga Onyatikpo in 1933. Their arrival was noticed by the British Colonial administration in 1935 when their status became a subject of a Memorandum No 25506/26 of 22nd January, 1935, entitled IMMIGRANT TIVS OF KEANA DISTRICT that was submitted by the Resident of Benue Province to the Secretary of the Northern Province in Kaduna”
“Since that period, the Tiv Immigrants have spread to other parts of the then Lafia Division in quest of farm lands. They were consequently offered farm lands by the various indigenous traditional rulers as settlers in their lands, from which they were paying royalties and taxes in return”
“It is therefore baffling to note that the Tiv people in Nasarawa State have repeatedly not only laid claims to “ancestral lands/homes” in Keana, Obi and Agwatashi chiefdoms, but also in the process, are demeaning the revered Alago royal fathers, namely, HRH. Alhaji Abdullahi Amegwa Agbo III, the Osana of Keana and HRH. Dr. Abubakar Umar Apeshi, the Osoho of Agwatashi (Olosoho) respectively”
“From the foregoing, it should be noted that the petitioners have consistently referred to lands in the areas as lands in Keana Chiefdom, Agwatashi Chiefdom etc, which indicates clearly that they do not have any ancestral lands/homes, neither can they lay claim to the same in any part of Nasarawa State”
“It is an avowed testament of the true colours and characters of the Tiv man that resonate and manifest in the fact that everywhere they go, the Tiv people are fighting their hosts, all in their treacherous quests to annex land through forceful grabbing, leaving behind legacies of blood baths and endless horror.
Their trade mark legacies in different parts of Taraba and Nasarawa States are classical examples. For instance, the Tiv are by nature, prone to violence and unnecessary controversies as witnessed between 1964 and 1965 where they staged the infamous Tem-Tyor violent movement against other tribes, leading to loss of thousands of lives and destruction of properties”
“Between 1989 and 1990, they engaged the Doemak/Kwalla people in a heavy crisis in Azara District of Awe LGA; there was the Tiv misadventure of 1991 with Alago in Kadarko and Keana In 2001, the Tiv engineered crisis in Azara which resulted in the gruesome murder of then Sarkin Azara, Alh. Musa Ibrahim Azara.
“The 2001 orgy in Nasarawa State pitched the Tiv against almost all the other ethnic groups in the entire Southern Senatorial District of the Nasarawa State and recently, some Tiv element armed with sophisticated weapons crossed into the territory of Keana, harassed, intimidated, killed and maimed many innocent persons.
These are just a few instances of the troublesome track records of the Tiv people. These are among other heinous atrocities by the Tiv against their host communities in Nasarawa State” the statement said.
