The pan-sociocultural group of the Tiv Nation in Benue State, known as Mzough U Tiv Worldwide, stated, on Thursday, that no fewer than 147 people were killed in the last two months in the state by suspected armed herders and militia groups.

This was as the group demanded an apology from the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, for allegedly insinuating that Tiv people were cow thieves.

The President General of the sociocultural group, Iorbee Ihagh, a retired Comptroller of Prison, stated this in a statement on Thursday.

Ihagh lamented that data collated from the three senatorial districts of the state showed that 70 deaths were recorded in Zone A, 27 deaths from Zone B and 50 people lost their lives in Zone C.

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He said, “From the data available to us, the state may have lost about 147 persons to herdsmen militia attacks in the last two months.

“The number of deaths at our disposal are reported cases, but we strongly believe that the number of those killed could be higher, given that there were pockets of deaths across Benue State that may not have been reported.

“For want of space, we may not be able to give you a detailed account of names and communities where these killings occured in the last two months but I believe that these communities are well known to all, especially the media.

“However, the MUT will give you the number of recorded deaths based on the killings in the three senatorial zones of Benue in the last two months.

“During the period under review, the death of 70 persons were recorded in Zone A (Benue North-East); a breakdown of the figures show that 20 deaths were purely from attacks by herdsmen, while the remaining 45 killings occured with local militia groups, acting in connivance with herdsmen militia.

“In Zone B (Benue North-West), about 10 persons were killed in Gwer West and 17 others in Gwer East, bringing the total to about 27 persons who lost their lives to attacks by the bandits, whereas in Zone C (Benue South), no fewer than 50 persons were killed by these criminal elements.”

Ihagh also called on the Sultan of Sokoto and President of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs “to retract and tender an unreserved apology to the Tiv Nation over the statement he made, calling Tiv people thieves.”

He said, “The Tiv people have a longstanding relationship with the Fulani people, where the Tiv, who are great farmers, offer the Fulani, food in exchange for beef. The statement credited to the Sultan saying that the Tiv people stole their cows, was coming at the height of the killings in Benue was not worthy of a person of the standing of the Sultan of Sokoto.”

The Tiv sociocultural group leader called on the Federal Government to end the insecurity in the state by empowering the Operation Whirl Stroke saddled with the responsibility of tackling insecurity in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states. (The PUNCH)

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