….Deny burial of Benue woman in Taraba
By Terna Chikpa, Jalingo
The Internally Displaced Persons from Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba, taking refuge in Benue State have appealed to Governor Agbu Kefas to direct the Wukari council chairman to reverse his exhumation order of late Mrs Atisaa Injuur Bem’s
The IDPs made the appeal in a press statement issued to Journalists on Thursday.
The statement signed by the displaced person’s leader, Peter Achibo, also denied the claims that late Bem, a 57-years old woman who was recently buried at km 15, Tor-Iorshaer village along Wukari Rafin Kada road was from Benue State.
The statement said Mrs Ben was buried in her ancestral village as the Tiv tradition demands.
“As a leader of the internally displaced persons from Wukari LGA, taking refuge in Benue state, I wish to on behalf of the entire displaced persons debunk the claim by the Jukun youth that we buried a Benue woman in Taraba. We wish to appeal to Governor Agbu Kefas to direct the council chairman of Wukari LGA to reverse his exhumation order against the body of Late Mrs Atisaa Injuur Bem.
“For the record, Mrs Atisaa Injuur Bem, a 57-years old woman who was recently buried at km 15, Tor-Iorshaer village along Wukari Rafin Kada road was not from Benue state. She was from Tor-Iorshaer village in Wukari LGA of Taraba, and was buried in accordance with the Tiv tradition,” the IDPs denied with appeal.
The statement also called for the immediate release of the arrested mourners, whom it claimed, the sum of N300,000 was paid as fine for their release as directed by Hon. Dauda Agbu Samaila, the Wukari LGA chairman.
“While we call for a concrete action to facilitate the safe return of the displaced Tiv persons to Wukari LGA, we wish to also call for the immediate release of the detained family members of the decease.
“For the record, shortly after the funeral of Late Mrs Atisaa Ben, mourners repairing their vehicle to return back to IDPs camp in Benue were attacked by Jukun youths. Three relatives, Torker Injuur Bem Terpase Tortsunm and Danjuma Ordughga were abducted and taken to Rafin Kada, a town located 5 km, away from Tor-Iorshaer village.
“While on the way, the victims appealed to the military at a checkpoint for intervention but the soldiers rather sort the consent of the district head of Rafin Kada, HRH. Gashaya Dan-Asebe who directed that the victims be brought to him. It was during these conversations that the Wukari LGA chairman Hon. Dauda Agbu Samaila directed that the sum of 300,000 be paid as a fine, for the victims to be released while the corpse of Late Mrs. Atisaa be exhumed.
“We have seen these order by the council chairman as not only unlawful and inhuman, but also a gross violation of human dignity. This act marks yet another alarming instance of grave desecration, increasingly targeting Tiv communities, and raising serious concerns about official complicity. We call on governor Agbu Kefas to intervene for the interest of unity and human dignity.
Our correspondent reports that Jukun youths led by Angwu Yavini had last week exhumed and burned the corpse of Mr Michael Usange, a retired Director with Taraba State teaching service board who was displaced from Chiina village, along Chinkai, Wukari LGA of the state.
PERISCOPE NIGERIA reports that according to locals the Jukun youth leader while at the funeral of the retired Director, told the family not to conduct the burial in Chiina village, insisting that if the family dare conducts the burial, he will mobilise his youth to destroy the grave along with body of the deceased.
The Tiv Culture and Social Association Taraba, Tiv traditional rulers and elders in the state, have already called for the arrest of the Jukun youth leader.
