- Resident Charges Ortom to Lead by Example
By Amos Aar
Benue State Police Command has confirmed renewed communal conflict in the state in which Tyo-Mu, a community, was attacked in the early hours of Thursday, 22nd September, 2022.
State Police Public Relations Officer, Catherine Sewuese Anene, who confirmed the incident in a statement said houses were burnt and three persons abducted during the attack and consequently, youths from Tse-Sho family barricaded Makurdi-Gboko high way demanding the release of the abductees.
“On 22/9//2022 at about 0730hrs, information was received that aggrieved youths of Tse-Sho village blocked Makurdi-Gboko road. A team of police detectives deployed to the area gathered from eyewitness that on the same date at about 0130hrs, armed men suspected to be a disputant group in a lingering land dispute invaded the community and burnt down some houses, they also abducted three (3) persons in the community and took them to an unknown destination.
“It could also be recalled that there has been disagreement between two parties tagged “Settlers and indigenes” within the area. Series of interventions by the police and the Benue State Government brought about the peace that has been enjoyed in the last two years before this renewed attack,” the statement reads in part.
The PPRO however said that the youths unblocked the road after “a successful deliberation” with them.
Reacting to the attack on Tse-Sho who are said to be settlers, a resident of the area, who pleaded anonymity in a telephone interview with National Record for fear of retribution, called on Governor Samuel Ortom to practice what he has been preaching to President Muhammadu Buhari to do about his Fulani brothers alleged to have been killing people from other tribes.
“Ortom is seeing what is far from him but he is not seeing what is close to him. This crisis has become tougher now that he is on seat as governor and those people who are displacing others are his MINDA brothers but he is not stopping them,” the resident to National Record.
MINDA stands for Masev, Iharev and Nongov Development Association formed by the four local government areas of Gwer-East, Gwer-West, Makurdi and Guma and Governor Ortom hails from Nongov extraction of Guma LGA.
The resident further stated: “Those people they are talking about have been living there for over a hundred years. Even their grand children are old people now and they have nowhere to go to. That’s where they bury their people. Tse-Sho people are from Buruku local government area of the state. I wonder how Tiv land will develop with this kind of mentality.”
However, another resident, who also pleaded anonymity, defended the governor, saying he did all he could to quell the crisis to no avail. “Do you know what the governor did? When he made frantic efforts to stop the crisis between Mbasombo and Mbaivur in Gwer-East which was within MINDA and they refused to sheath their swords, he overlooked them and today Ikpayongu has become a quiet place. It’s like the governor wants to apply the same approach at Tyo-Mu,” he explained.
National Record learnt that Tyo-Mu, the crisis-ridden community is located just 16 kilometers from Wurukum, the terminus of Makurdi, the State capital.
