By Terna Chikpa, Jalingo
Dec. 14, 2025
Tiv traditional leaders and clergymen in Taraba State have appealed to Governor Agbu Kefas to fast-track the return of displaced Tiv communities in the southern part of the state and halt ongoing killings.
The appeal was made on Friday during a prayer session organised by Tiv indigenes of Taraba State displaced to Benue and held in Kyado, Benue State.
Chairman of the Taraba State Tiv Traditional Council, HRH Dr. David Gbar, said returning Tiv IDPs were still being attacked and killed, particularly in Wukari Local Government Area.
Dr. Gbar, who is also the Ter Bali, said thousands of Tiv people had remained in IDP camps since 2019, describing their condition as a humanitarian crisis.
According to him, the prolonged displacement has resulted in out-of-school children, poor access to healthcare, youth vulnerability to crime and drug abuse, as well as hunger and poverty.
“We do not have any other home apart from Taraba. We are indigenes of Taraba State, not Benue,” Gbar said.
He appealed to the state government to stop the continued killing and displacement of Tiv people and to ensure their peaceful return to ancestral communities in southern Taraba.
Dr. Gbar also urged the Aku Uka of Wukari to intensify efforts toward unity and peaceful coexistence between Tiv and Jukun people.
Earlier, Chairman of the Concerned Tiv Citizens Platform (CPC), Mr. Solomon Iornem JP, said the prayer session was organised to seek divine intervention over continued attacks on Tiv communities.
Iornem accused security agencies of failing to stop the violence.
“Security personnel are stationed on the roads while Tiv people are being killed and displaced daily,” he said.
He said Tiv IDPs had remained in camps in Benue State for over six years without explanation.
Iornem called on Governor Kefas and President Bola Tinubu to intervene and facilitate the peaceful return of displaced persons.
“We are peace-loving people and ready to embrace peace for development,” he added.
Also speaking, Prof. Tyodough Hemen Agere of the Federal University, Wukari, and Rev. Fr. Anthony Haanya of the Wukari Diocese condemned recent attacks on Tiv communities.
They cited the killing of over 70 Tiv persons in Chanchanji Ward of Takum LGA and the killing of 19 returning IDPs at Tse Ajogo village near Rafin Kada, Wukari LGA, with others still missing.
The stakeholders called for increased security deployment and sustained engagement to end the violence.
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They urged the Taraba State Government to set up a Jukun–Tiv ad-hoc peace and reconciliation committee with equal representation from both groups.
They also called for a temporary suspension or review of proposed Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) in Ikyaior and Jandekyula, pending community consultations and consensus-building efforts.
