By Terna Chikpa, Jalingo
Taraba state – May 10, 2015
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Taraba State, currently taking refuge in Benue State, have appealed to Governor Agbu Kefas to facilitate their return to their ancestral communities in Wukari Local Government Area.
The IDPs made the appeal on Thursday in Kyado, Benue State, during the burial of Jethro Yerga, Assistant Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Taraba State Council.
Speaking on behalf of the displaced persons, the Ter Wukari, Zaki John Ikyo, and Vice Chairman of the Tiv IDP committee in Wukari, Terhile Ahur, emphasized the need for lasting peace and reconciliation between the Tiv and Jukun ethnic groups to enable sustainable development in the area.
“We are grateful to the Benue State government for sheltering us for over six years since the crisis forced us out of our homes. However, we now call on Governor Kefas to demonstrate empathy and initiate the process of returning us home,” they said.
The displaced persons decried the deplorable conditions under which they live, noting that many of them sleep in open spaces or in school classrooms, which are vacated whenever academic sessions resume.
“Our situation is pitiable. We have no other place to call home. We want to return to our land in Taraba and resume our farming activities. We urge the state government to ensure adequate security and support for our resettlement,” the IDPs added.
They further called on Governor Kefas to address the lingering ethnic tensions in Wukari and other affected communities, describing the crisis as one that has rendered thousands homeless and exacerbated hardship.
“We appeal to the government to feel our pain and act swiftly to restore peace, security, and our dignity,” they said.
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