By Amos Aar
THE TOR TIV, His Royal Majesty, Prof. James Ayatse, on Thursday restated that the persistent killings in Benue State constitute genocide, insisting that the pattern, scale and consistency of the attacks clearly justify that definition.
Speaking during the 2025 Tiv Women Summit in Gboko, the paramount ruler said a recent United States delegation sent by President Donald Trump to assess the situation in Nigeria had confirmed the disturbing reality after meeting him in Makurdi.
He told the gathering that the evidence of systematic killings was overwhelming, stressing that the situation should not wait until “millions are annihilated” before being acknowledged for what it is.
“They are cutting down our people every day and we are finishing gradually,” he said, noting that genocide is best understood as an unbroken chain of targeted killings executed deliberately and consistently.
He also reflected on the long trail of violence, recalling the mass burial of 73 victims murdered in Guma LGA in 2018 as only one instance in years of unceasing attacks.
“I want to tell you that your king doesn’t stammer. So, I told them (the US delegation) the truth. I don’t see what is black and call it white. God did not create me like that. I have not seen anything someone will offer me that I will alter my words. I say exactly what I see and that’s what I told the US delegation because when they came, they paid more attention to what I would say. I told them that those people are annihilating us.
“It’s not when they kill more than 10 million people that we will call it a genocide. They are cutting down our people every day and we are finishing gradually. I don’t know which book some people are consulting to define genocide. What I understand by genocide is that if people are being killed continuously for a particular reason without ceasing, it is a genocide. It is a deliberate, systematic, consistent instruction,” Ayatse said.
Aside the security concerns, the Tor Tiv emphasised the urgent need to invest in Tiv youths and women as the backbone of rebuilding the Tiv nation.
He encouraged women to enrol in the Tiv Women Bam cooperative fund as a pathway to economic empowerment and sustainable development.
He also disclosed that the Tiv Traditional Council was finalising legal backing for key cultural reforms. These include capping bride price at no more than N100,000 and formally recognising female children in inheritance matters, steps he said were aimed at promoting fairness and strengthening families.
Earlier, HRM Prof. Felicia Hembadoon Ayatse, in her welcome address, reiterated that the summit’s core mission was nation-building and stressed that Tiv women must play a stabilising role as builders of homes and society.
She cautioned women against begging in the name of politics, urging them to embrace productive ventures like agriculture and small businesses. She condemned the rising trend of prostitution among young Tiv girls and reiterated calls for the Benue State House of Assembly to enact a law prohibiting forced prostitution.
Providing an update on the Tiv Women Bam introduced at the first summit, Prof. Ayatse announced that the initiative had already mobilized N50 million and successfully disbursed loans to members. She expressed optimism that the cooperative would significantly alleviate poverty if sustained and encouraged more Tiv women to join.
In a paper titled “Girl Child Upbringing and Prostitution,” Prof. Elizabeth Kembe of Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, urged proper parenting and skill acquisition as vital tools for preventing the objectification of the girl child.
Also speaking, the Makurdi Zonal Commander of NAPTIP, Mrs. Gloria Bai, noted that child trafficking often begins in homes where children are neglected or maltreated. She said many Tiv children are trafficked to Eastern Nigeria and recalled that 400 children were trafficked from Guma Local Government Area, with only one rescued. She urged parents and guardians to intensify vigilance over their children and wards.
