Displaced Tiv Christians from Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State staged a peaceful protest on Thursday, calling for urgent intervention and justice after spending seven years in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps.
The demonstrators, predominantly subsistence farmers, appealed to the Federal Government and the international community to facilitate their safe return to their ancestral homes. They decried worsening living conditions, economic hardship, and the collapse of their livelihoods since their displacement in 2019.
Addressing journalists, the leader of the group, Terhile Ahur, accused the Taraba State Government, Wukari Local Government authorities, and the Wukari Traditional Council of failing to support their reintegration. Ahur claimed that over 150,000 Tiv people have been displaced from Wukari and are currently seeking refuge in neighboring Benue State.
He alleged that the crisis has led to the destruction of more than 300 churches, 70 schools, and 30 primary healthcare facilities belonging to Tiv communities.
According to Ahur, the conflict originated from clashes between Jukun and Tiv groups in Kente village in 2019, which escalated into targeted attacks against Tiv Christians.
“What started as a communal clash has turned into what we see as a deliberate attempt to wipe out Tiv communities, particularly Christians,” Ahur stated.
The IDP leader also condemned repeated peace efforts, which he said have failed due to the “complicity” of local and state authorities. He further expressed concern over the labeling of Tiv residents as “settlers” in Wukari, despite their longstanding historical, political, and social ties to the area.
Citing historical precedents, Ahur highlighted the participation of Tiv leaders in past governance and electoral processes, emphasizing that their indigene status in Taraba State is well established.
Ahur also alleged that ancestral lands abandoned by displaced families have been occupied and redistributed by other groups. “We believe the deployment of security personnel has not facilitated our return but has instead prevented us from accessing our homes,” he said, urging the Chief of Army Staff to investigate the conduct of troops in the affected areas.
The group called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene by ensuring their safe return, deploying neutral security personnel, and providing humanitarian assistance. They also appealed to the international community to take note of their plight, referencing the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and urged urgent action to address what they described as serious violations of their fundamental human rights.