Thursday May 22, 2025|
The Tiv Area Traditional Council (TATC) has ordered all herders in the Tiv Kingdom, Benue State, to leave Tiv farmlands by May 31 to enable farmers to resume agricultural activities.
The directive was issued during an emergency meeting on Wednesday, May 21, at the Tor Tiv’s palace in Gboko Local Government Area (LGA), chaired by the Tor Tiv, HRM Prof. James Ayatse.
In a communiqué signed by the Council’s Secretary, Mr Shinyi Tyozua, the TATC urged the Benue State government, led by Governor Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, to create conditions for the herders’ peaceful departure. Additionally, the Council instructed political and traditional leaders in each LGA to engage herders diplomatically to ensure their exit, facilitating the resumption of farming.
The TATC expressed concern over the security situation in the Tiv Kingdom, highlighting communities in the Kwande, Katsina-Ala, Logo, Ukum, Guma, Makurdi, Gwer West, Gwer East, and Buruku LGAs as the worst affected.
The Council noted that herders’ occupation of farmlands for grazing, coupled with attacks and killings, has halted farming activities, forcing farmers to flee. Furthermore, it warned that continued occupation could lead to widespread hunger in the Tiv Kingdom and Nigeria.
