By Terna Chikpa | Newspointer News | Jalingo
Wukari Taraba July 3, 2025
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Wukari Local Government Area (LGA) of Taraba State, currently residing in Benue State, have appealed to Governor Agbu Kefas to reverse an alleged order by the Wukari LGA Chairman, Hon. Dauda Agbu Samaila, for the exhumation of the body of the late Mrs. Atisaa Injuur Bem.
In a press statement made available to Newspointer News on Thursday, the IDPs, through their leader Mr. Peter Achibo, denied claims that the deceased was from Benue State. They asserted that Mrs. Bem was a native of Tor-Iorshaer village, located at Kilometer 15 along the Wukari–Rafin Kada road in Taraba State.
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“Mrs. Atisaa Injuur Bem was a 57-year-old woman and a native of Tor-Iorshaer in Wukari LGA. Her burial in that location was consistent with Tiv customs and traditions,” the statement read.
The IDPs urged Governor Kefas to direct the Wukari Council to rescind the exhumation directive, which they described as “unlawful and inhumane.”
The statement further alleged that following the funeral, some mourners were attacked by Jukun youths while repairing their vehicle en route to the IDP camp in Benue. Three individuals — Torker Injuur Bem, Terpase Tortsunm, and Danjuma Ordughga — were reportedly abducted and taken to Rafin Kada.
According to the IDPs, the abducted individuals sought help at a military checkpoint but were instead handed over to the District Head of Rafin Kada, His Royal Highness Gashaya Dan-Asebe. They also claimed that the Wukari LGA chairman subsequently demanded a ₦300,000 fine for their release and ordered the exhumation of the deceased’s body.
“This act represents a grave violation of human dignity and reflects a growing pattern of targeted attacks on Tiv communities in Taraba State,” the statement added.
The group called for the immediate release of the detained mourners and urged the government to facilitate the safe return of displaced Tiv residents to their ancestral communities in Wukari LGA.
This development follows a separate incident reported last week by Nigerian Tribune, where the corpse of Mr. Michael Usange, a retired Director in the Taraba State Teaching Service Board, was allegedly exhumed and burned by Jukun youths in Chiina village, Wukari LGA. Usange, who was also displaced from the area, had been buried by his family despite warnings reportedly issued by local youth leader Angwu Yavini.
Eyewitnesses told Newspointer News that the Jukun youth leader warned the family against conducting the burial and allegedly threatened to destroy the grave if his directive was ignored.
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In response, the Tiv Culture and Social Association in Taraba, along with traditional rulers and elders, have condemned the desecration and are calling for the arrest and prosecution of those involved.
Efforts to reach the Wukari LGA chairman and the District Head of Rafin Kada for comment were unsuccessful as of press time.
