Tiv people in Nasarawa State have appealed to President Bola Tinubu, Governor Abdullahi Sule and civil society organisations to check the seizure of their ancestral farmlands in Awe, Keana and Obi local government areas of the state.
The president of Mdzough U Tiv, Mr Philip Nongu, made the appeal at a press conference in Abuja yesterday, saying over 10,000 hectares of their cultivated land was being targeted for seizure.
According to Nongu, land has been integral to the livelihood of Tiv people for centuries. He alleged that some officials and traditional rulers were conspiring to displace Tiv farmers under the guise of agricultural projects.
“We cry out loudly and appeal for the urgent attention of the president to this grave injustice against Nigerians perpetrated by privileged politicians and traditional rulers in Nasarawa State,” Nongu stated. He emphasised the need for the president’s intervention to halt the ongoing land clearing being carried out with bulldozers without the consent of landholders.
The Tiv community leader also raised concerns over recent incursions by outsiders to settle on their lands, describing this as a concerted effort to displace farmers.
“We appeal to the president to direct the governor of Nasarawa State to stop the grabbing of Tiv ancestral farmlands for any agricultural project. We seek urgent investigations into our grievances,”
Nongu said, outlining specific demands aimed at protecting the rights and livelihoods of Tiv farmers.
He urged all stakeholders, including the National Assembly, civil society organisations and international human rights groups to take heed on the situation which he said contravenes the principles of democracy and the rule of law.
Nongu urged calm among the Tiv population, urging them to remain peaceful as they await government’s action.
The chairman of Obi local government area of Nasarawa State, Hon. Isa Sani Muhammad, however, said several lands had been taken over by the government for agricultural projects.
“There are about three to four pieces of land that the government has allocated for farming. You are aware of what is happening in Nigeria now, and even we as a local government, in line with Mr President and our governor, A.A. Sule’s policy on agriculture, are all farming now. Every local government has gone to farm.
“If they are talking about lands that were taken over by the government, there is nothing anyone can do about that because it is a government policy and it is in the public interest,” he said.
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