Youths under the umbrella of Taraba Tiv Youth Progressive Mission, on Saturday accused security officers who are stationed in their displaced homes in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State, of abandoning their ethical standard of fairness, to occupy their destroyed homes and prevent them from returning home while cultivating on their ancestral graves
The group made this assertion while briefing newsmen in Jalingo on what they called pathetic situation their displaced persons in Southern Taraba are passing through
Spokesman of the group, Mr Kaduna Fanen, noted that the crisis between Jukun, the kinsmen of Governor Agbu Kefas, and the Tiv people of Taraba State, has displaced thousands of people who are taking refuge in the neighboring states without any government attention for over five years now.
He said, “The security officers who are deployed to calm the situation, rather took advantage of the pathetic situation, took over the displaced homes and are farming freely farming on the graves of their ancestral fathers for over four years, even as they always prevent them from returning home in the name that it is an order from above.”
Fanen who wondered why an order from above would prevent Internally Displaced Persons from coming back to their homes even when military officers who are supposed to be fair and just with all manner of persons were deployed to the crisis area, pleaded with the Chief of Army Staff COAS to come to their aid and help them return home to farm in the raining season
“Let us not be made to believe that the security officers stationed in our displaced villages from Wukari to Jootar, Wukari to Rafinkada, Wukari to Ibi and Wukari to Tsukundi are working hand in hand with the enemies who are trying to exterminate us from our ancestral homes. Our understanding is that they should facilitate our safe return if they are deployed in our places for good
“We are worried over this horrible situation. It is more worrisome that the Executive Governor of Taraba State, His Excellency Dr Agbu Kefas whom we have so much confidence, has continue to maintain a golden silence over the killings of our brothers who have been attempting to return home
“We want to appeal with his Excellency to look at our old parents, the future of our younger ones and the children with the eyes of a man of God. We appeal that he look at us as human beings who were also created by God for a purpose and scheme up workable and concrete ways to resettle our displaced persons and also stop the reckless killings in his home
“We call on spirited individuals who truely understand the truth which our Lord God has installed in us to continue praying for the future of our thousands of innocent young ones who have been out of school all this while and are rendered almost helpless for over five years so that our Lord God will grant them His shield during this turbulent time of theirs,” the chairman added.
When contacted, the State Police Public Relation officer, DSP Gambo Kwache said the command had not received any report of its officers farming in the crisis affected areas in the Local Government
The spokeman of the Army, Acting Assistant Director, 6 Brigade Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Oni Olubodunde, said military officers would never compromise their ethical standards and responsibilities in securing the area by joining forces with any person to stop displaced persons from returning to their homes. He promised to verify the issues and get back to the press but did not get back up to the time of filing this report
However, when our reporter visited some of the displaced homes where security officers are stationed, different crops were cultivated on the destroyed houses and other homes cleared, ready to be cultivated
Recall that since 2019 till date, the Tiv people who fled Wukari LGA, home of the executive governor of the state, and most other parts of the Local Governments in Southern Taraba following the communal clash between the Jukun and the Tiv, have not been able to return to their ancestral homes and any attempt to return back is always resisted by the state authorities through security Agencies.
The crisis has claimed thousands of lives and secret killings of innocent persons are still on, even as the IDPs have continue to languish helplessly in the various places they are taking refuge without any attention from any quarter.
Meanwhile, Governor of the state, Dr Agbu Kefas in a recent interaction with journalists in Jalingo, explained that the reason for the displacement of the IDP must have to be determined and appropriate measures taken before the people would be allowed to return to their displaced homes
