President-General of The Tiv Youth Organisation (TYO) Comrade Timothy Hembaor, in an exclusive interview with AUSTINE TULE, in Makurdi, the Benue state capital, has called on TIV youths to embark on self-defense following rising cases of herdsmen attack on unsuspecting Tiv farmers and communities. He described the attacks as provocative and barbaric coming after TYO made concerted efforts to achieve peace between the affected communities and the herdsmen.
According to Comrade Hembaor, about ten persons were gruesomely murdered in Kwande Local Government Area of the state by the marauding killer herdsmen few days ago.
He also noted with sadness the attack on the district head of Mbawa, in Guma LGA whose wife was also raped by the herdsmen among other acts of infamy saying the TYO cannot continue to fold its hands and watch the terrorist group massacre innocent Tiv people in cold blood.
Against this backdrop, the TYO President-General said:
” the Tiv people in Benue state, and elsewhere, have a right, same as every other human being, to life and liberty, and shall defend that life with all the means available to them where the statutory arm of organized human society fails to afford them security;
He stressed that the Tiv are entitled to statutory rights over the lands of the Benue trough where they have lawfully dwelt and earned a living from these past three centuries, and have been so recognized by human laws.
“The Tiv people will resist with all means at their disposal, the confiscation of their land and transmutation of same into grazing areas for the Fulani and their cattle. In essence, .the Tiv are saying; “No to grazing areas of whatever sort in Tivland.”
Continuing he emphasized. That “the Tiv will no longer consider the Fulani as friendly visitors, coming and going for peaceful purposes, but shall see them for what they really are, enemies intent on the total destruction of the Tiv nation, and the confiscation of Tivland.
“The Tiv will henceforth shun all forms of commercial relationships with the Fulani, beginning with a boycott of beef and fresh milk; it shall henceforth, be considered an unpatriotic act, one bordering on outright sabotage, for any Tiv man, woman or child to consume beef or fresh milk (Nunu), for these are economic activities which have an end-value in directly contributing to the Fulani war effort against the Tiv.”
Going further, he that “the Tiv will do everything permitted by the natural laws of survival to preserve their existence, now and through the course of human history, against the unfolding agenda of the Fulani territorial war against us.
“President Muhammadu Buhari, should be told that we have no choice but to confront this battle being waged against our people by the Fulani and their associates with his tacit support, and as history has proven, we shall not be defeated.”
The TYO President-General called on President Buhari to respect the oath of his office and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, both in content and spirit and sincerely intervene now and halt the killings of the Tiv people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by his kinsmen militia.
He said, “if the President does not quickly, sincerely and visibly intervene, there shall soon be a most ugly, most ferocious, most horrible and most bloody war, because the Tiv people are capable of defending themselves against any force especially like this one bothering on threats to their existence and occupation of our ancestral dwellings.”
According to him, “we shall never succumb to the threat of the Miyetti Allah; neither shall we cede any of our land for cattle colonies. They left their lands to come and establish cattle colonies in our communities.
“We wish to note that the intended colonies are merely a disguise to get a foot-hold on our land. Once created, they will gradually be inhabited by thousands of our tormentors, and sooner than later, install a Sarkin Fulani.
The colony will eventually transmute to Sabon Gida and before you know it the title of Sarkin Sabon Gida will be elevated to Emir, just like it happened in Bwari recently.”
The TYO leader informed futher that “we are aware of the sponsors of the deadly Miyetti Allah terrorists, so our concern shall no longer be restricted to the hired mercenaries who physically carry out the invasion of our land, but also the sponsors, if they insist on the invasion of our land.
“We promise that, if they insist on their path of infamy, Benue valley shall never be a battle ground, because we shall take the battle to their door steps.
“We shall also not draw a distinction between our Fulani attackers and those who provide harbour for them.
He declared that” the TYO equally wish to state that It s our collective submission that; owing to their admission on live television and national dailies of the killings of Tiv People, the leadership of Miyetti Allah as well as their foot soldiers should be arrested and prosecuted for the genocide and ethnic cleansing implemented against the Tiv people of Nigeria.”
He emphasized that, ” the stand of the Tiv Youth Organization (TYO) was inevitable to fallout of the unwarranted crimes and atrocities by the Fulani against us.
Hembaor declared further” I urge Tiv youth to rise up in defence of their ancestral land which it Informes was the main Target of the herdsmen, backed by forces in the Presidency in Abuja .
The TYO President-General concluded that “we have lost hope in conventional security outfits some of which are acting the script of the Fulanis and their collaborators on a conquest and occupation agenda and hence the need for self-help defence having exhausted all avenues aimed at restoring peace.
QUOTE: “We wish to note that the intended colonies are merely a disguise to get a foot-hold on our land. Once created, they will gradually be inhabited by thousands of our tormentors, and sooner than later, install a Sarkin Fulani.”
