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By Our Reporter
Ayatutu Cultural and Social Development Initiative, (AYACASODI) a Tiv cultural group has accused the Nigerian Army of assisting in the killing of people in Gbeji town, Ukum LG of Benue state, in the early hours of Wednesday.
In what they described as genocidal killing of unarmed Tiv people in Gbeji, by suspected herders, the group said the military compromised. The group said over 42 people were killed while several numbers brutalized.
In a release signed by Chief Baaki Timothy, and other two executive members, the group called on President Muhammadu Buhari to act fast and stop the wave of ethnic cleansing.
Detail of the release made available to Apex News Exclusive read as follows;
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our attention has been drawn to the genocidal killings of the unarmed Tiv people in Gbeji, Ukum LGA, Benue State by the Fulani Herders Killer men, with the assistance of the Nigerian Army Personnel based in Kente, Wukari LGA, Taraba State on Wednesday 19th October 2022.
As a group solely aimed at developing the cultural and social lives of Tiv origins, we are here today to condemn the killing and destruction of properties, and to call the respective authorities to look into the matter with the aim of ensuring the perpetrators faced the law and avoiding further occurrence.
- On the early hours of Wednesday, 19/10/2022 the Fulani killer herdsmen invaded the Gbeji community when the people were deeply asleep, attacking them genocidally with heavy arms and ammunitions.
- This attack which lasted for hours leads to the killings of more than 42 unarmed Tiv people, including women and children, with a lot receiving treatment at different hospitals after sustaining severe injuries; not just that, properties worth millions were destroyed in the same attack.
- The said attack also saw the death of two (2) police officers (an Inspector and a Constable) who were shot professionally by suspected Nigerian Army Personnel who accompanied the Fulani killers men.
- As a matter of fact, these Tiv people were killed with the use of heavy and sophisticated weapons which are not constitutionally allowed to be possessed by civilians nor used for civil cases. Weapons supposed to be used in order to protect Nigerian Citizens were rather used against same citizens.
- This gruesome attack came just a month after the same Fulani killers men attacked Mchia and Mou villages in Logo LGA on 22/9/2022 around 1:00am butchering unarmed Tiv people in large numbers, including women and children.
- It will interest you to note that, this is not the first time the Nigerian Army Personnel are colluding with the Fulani militias to attack our people. In fact it is already a history that, 21 years after the same Nigerian Army Personnel invaded this same Gbeji town (21/10/2001) they came back to same town for same purpose on the 19/10/2022.
- Ladies and Gentlemen, information reaching us has it that, on that same morning after the attack, the Nigerian Army based in Kente under Operation Whilst Stroke headed by one Officer Abbas, came looking for one of their colleagues who was missing after the same attack. To put the record straight, we call on the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Army Staff, General Commanding Officer (GCO) 93 Battalion Takum and whoever is capable, to visit the Kente Base of the Nigerian Army and seek to see all the personnel posted in the base, and explain why they could not act urgently to help the defenceless Gbeji town from the hands of those invaders.
- The Nigerian Army Base in Gov (a Tiv neighboring village) was emptied and the personnel joined those in Kente (a Jukun neighboring village) shortly before the incident. And there are two check points in Kente, the first one is just a Km to Gbeji while the other less than 2km is where the personnel are based. With this closeness, those who are supposed to defend the defenceless, heard gun shots but could not come out to help, rather they came same morning asking for one of their colleagues; and when Officer Abbas was called, he said he is on top of the situation.
- We call on the Inspector General of Police to investigate the matter very well, because two of his very own were directly affected. Let him investigate the difference in gun shots control between those who were aiming at the Nigerian Police officers and those who were sporadically shooting the civilians.
- We once again, call on the Minister of Defence, Chief of Army Staff, GCO 93 Battalion Takum and H.E. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to investigate the involvement of the Nigerian Army Kente Base, to ensure the perpetrators are brought to book and to employ adequate measures towards ending the Fulani continuous genocidal killings on Tiv people.
- We also call on H.E. Dr. Samuel Ortom, the Governor of Benue State, to be proactive, his Volunteer Guards were not seen closed to the venue of incident. There is no need telling the whole world how prepared you are for security and defence when your people are continuously butchered with knives and there has been no self defence of whatsoever kind. The incident in Mchia, Logo LGA is still fresh in our mind where Fulani went to a Tiv settlement deep inside Benue State and butchered people in large numbers.
- Not just that, we also call on the Chairman Ukum LGC, to be proactive. We appreciate his quick visit to the scene, however it is just like giving medicine after death. We wish to remind the House of Assembly member, House of Representatives member and the Senator representing these people, that their constituents are not seeing peace, there is no security for them, one day you will come for campaign and meet only corpses to ask you, “where were you when the Fulani herdsmen were killing us? Did we vote for you to sit in Abuja and only come home after 4 years?”
- Those reporting that the attack was a reprisal attack should be arrested for mockery and public deceit. For clarity purposes, there was no attack on the Fulanis prior to this said well planned attack.
- We call on the general public to be aware that, the agenda of the Fulani herdsmen to eliminate Tiv farmers from their ancestral homeland is still ongoing and the Fulanis are receiving back up from different angles. We call on anybody who can help to come for the rescue of our people.
Thank you and God bless you.
Sign:
-Chief Baaki Timothy
-Comr. Dcn. David Nyiagee
-Mr. Cliff Iormba
©Inter Leadership, For: Ayatutu Cultural and Social Development Initiative ®
