The Taraba Tiv People’s Association (TATIPA), Abuja chapter, has raised the alarm over what it described as a systematic campaign of displacement, identity erasure, and institutional marginalisation against Tiv communities in Southern Taraba.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, May 14, the group leaders decried the “continued eviction and violent attacks targeting Tiv settlements in Wukari, Ibi, Donga, and Takum Local Government Areas.”

It called on the Federal Government and the international community to intervene in what it termed a “grave humanitarian crisis.”

A member of TATIPA’s Board of Trustees, Orbee Uchiv, who led the group at the briefing, said Tiv people had been displaced from over 280 villages, affecting nearly 300,000 people in the region.

“The Tiv people are not settlers in Taraba State. Our nativity is well-established by historical records and colonial documentation,” Orbee said, adding, “Yet, we are being pushed out of our ancestral lands, and our towns are being renamed as part of a deliberate attempt to erase our identity.”

Names of Tiv communities in Taraba State allegedly renamed include Dan-Anacha to Kwararafa, Peva to Chanchanji, and Ayu to Tsokundi.

The group also condemned the alleged failure of successive administrations in the state to implement the recommendations of various peace committees, despite the protracted nature of the Jukun-Tiv conflict, which re-escalated in April 2019.

According to the group, the Tiv people in the state have been denied traditional recognition and political inclusion for decades. They pointed out that while other ethnic traditional rulers in the state have been elevated to first class status, Tiv traditional institutions have remained stagnant for over 100 years.

“There are over 18 Tiv village heads that were officially recognised as far back as 1923. Yet, not a single one has been upgraded to a district or chiefdom level. Meanwhile, we remain excluded from the Taraba State Council of Chiefs and Emirs,” Orbee stated.

TATIPA also raised concerns over the alleged disenfranchisement of its people in the state, claiming that over 58 polling units in Tiv communities were no longer recognised, forcing many residents to travel long distances to vote during elections.

In addition, the association condemned the recent attacks on Tiv villages, including the May 6 invasion of Deke village and the May 10 ambush at Tse-Bidi near Tor-Musa, which it said resulted in multiple casualties and injuries.

“These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a coordinated pattern of violence aimed at displacing our people and silencing opposition to government policies, such as the proposed military barracks in Ikyaior,” Achibo said.

The group called for the arrest and prosecution of people allegedly involved in the recent violence.

The violence has deeply affected education. Several Tiv children have been forced out of school as their families flee for safety, and the destruction of communities has disrupted schooling across the region. “Today, more than 280 Tiv people have been rendered homeless… stripped not only of their homes and farmlands, but also of their dignity and hope for a stable future,” the group lamented.

It called for a transparent and well-coordinated plan to ensure the safe return of displaced Tiv persons to their ancestral homes. 

It demanded upgrading Tiv’s traditional institutions to full chiefdom status and fair representation in the Taraba State Council of Chiefs and Emirs.

Among others, the group also urged relevant Federal Government agencies such as the National Emergency Management Agency and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to provide urgent relief and support to its displaced people. 

Efforts by The ICIR to get reactions to the allegations from the Taraba State government proved abortive.

The ICIR contacted Emmanuel Bello, the spokesperson to the Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, for comments on the claims Wednesday evening.

He did not respond to a WhatsApp message sent to his line. He also did not pick up the calls to his phone line on Thursday morning or respond to a text message sent to him about the allegations.