By Amos Aar
The Ter Tyoshin, Chief Daniel Ayua Abomtse, has joined the Association of United Farmers in Benue Valley (AUFBV) to amplify the call for the release of 394 corpses of their members allegedly massacred by suspected Alago militia in Keana LGA of Nasarawa State between June2024 and January 2025.
Chief Abomste made the call at his palace in Naka, Gwer West LGA when the leadership of AUFBV visited him seeking for his intervention in their plea for justice.
Speaking on behalf of AUFBV, its President, Denis Denen Gbongbon Utsa, detailed the harrowing events that led to the killing of their members and urged the traditional ruler to amplify their call for the release of 394 corpses.
“Sir, on the 26th of June 2024, we received a call from DSS in Keana, alerting us of a communal clash. Tiv farmers, mostly IDPs, were attacked in their homes by Alago militias armed with various weapons. Several were killed, others injured, and many remain unaccounted for,” Utsa said.
He added that efforts to locate the corpses have been frustrated by poor security responses.
“The police have only accounted for one corpse, while the others remain missing. Families are grieving, and our people are living in constant fear.
“We are here to appeal for your intervention to recover the bodies for proper burial and to end these attacks. Secondly, the bandits should also be redeployed back to where they are coming from”, Utsa appealed.
In his response, Chief Abomtse expressed profound grief over the farmers’ plight and joined their demand for justice and the release of the corpses.
“I appreciate the leadership of the Association of United Farmers in Benue Valley led by you, Dennis Denen Gbongbon Utsa. Your narration is quite heart-rending. If at all what you said is the true reflection of what has befallen the Tiv people in that state, then our collective faith in the Nigerian nation project is shaking.”
Tracing the historical marginalization of the Tiv people, Chief Abomtse said: “The Tiv people have become an endangered specie in the Nigerian project. Our lives no longer count. Our human existence is no longer measured in terms of livelihood.
“We don’t have any other place to lay hands on our land. Why should we get new arrivals who are now given preferential treatment over those who have lived here from time immemorial?”
The traditional ruler emphasized the need for urgent intervention. “I am appealing to the governments of Nasarawa and Benue, and by extension President Bola Tinubu, to act swiftly and address these genocidal attacks. This is not just about the release of the corpses; it is about the very survival of the Tiv people. We need justice, peace, and fairness.”
Chief Abomtse also urged prominent Tiv leaders, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, to present the farmers’ grievances to the President. He called on Governor Hyacinth Alia to engage his Nasarawa State counterpart in addressing the crisis.
“Our political leaders must understand that something is fundamentally wrong. The Tiv traditional council must rise and advocate against this inhuman treatment.
“We must remind everyone that no one owns Nigeria; we all migrated here at different times. There must be equity, justice, and recognition of the rights of indigenous people,” he said.
Chief Abomtse lamented the systemic neglect of Tiv farmers and called for a change in attitude. “We accommodate non-natives in Benue and even make them traditional rulers. Why can’t we have the same treatment in Nasarawa and Taraba?
“This bias and resistance to fair representation must end. No one lives forever, and no one is subhuman. We must discard acts that are counterproductive.”
