TIV YOUTH Square

PRESS RELEASE

TARABA IS BLEEDING: TRUTH BEHIND THE FALSE CLAIM OF SAFETY

The Taraba Tiv Youths Development Association (TATIYODA) Worldwide is compelled to respond to the claim by the governor of Taraba state, His Excellency Dr. Agbu Kefas that Taraba State is one of the safest states in Northern Nigeria.

We begin from Wukari and Ibi Local Government Areas, ground zero of a crisis that has been allowed to fester for years. Since 2019, Tiv communities in these areas have been forcefully displaced by Jukun ethnic militia. Today, only a handful of Tiv villages remain in Wukari LGA, and even those are under intense pressure, facing what many now describe as the final stage of eviction. Homes have been abandoned, ancestral lands lost, and entire communities erased from the map.
Wukari is not just any town, it is the hometown of the sitting governor. Yet, within this same Wukari, Tiv communities have been uprooted, their settlements deserted, and there are widespread allegations that their lands have been taken over, sold, and redistributed. This raises deep and painful questions about protection, justice, and leadership.

A state where citizens are hunted, displaced, and stripped of their heritage cannot be described as safe.
This is why the governor’s declaration is not only misleading, it is false and baseless.

At a time when decisive leadership is required, one would expect the state government to escalate security response, engaging the Nigerian Air Force to intensify aerial surveillance, working in close coordination with the Nigerian Army to flush out armed groups, secure vulnerable communities, and restore confidence among displaced citizens.

But instead of urgency, there is a dangerous disconnect.
This raises serious questions: was the statement a mere error, or a calculated attempt to downplay the ongoing attacks? Or worse still, does it align with the widely reported Christmas Day remark in Wukari, where the governor was quoted as expressing indifference to the plight of Tiv people on the basis of politics?
If such a position exists, it is not only unacceptable, it is a betrayal of the oath to protect all citizens without discrimination.

The killings in Takum Local Government Area began in 2025. What started as targeted attacks grew into a full-scale crisis, fueled by silence and inaction. Today, most Tiv villages in Takum such as Amadu and Chanchaji are death traps. Our people have fled. Homes are empty. Farms abandoned. Livelihoods destroyed. In some places, not even a chicken belonging to a Tiv person is safe.

This wave of violence did not stop there, it spread into Donga Local Government Area.
The massacre of the 9th and 10th of January 2026 in Akate Ward remains one of the darkest chapters in recent history. Over 27 innocent lives were brutally taken. Among them, a sitting councilor late Hon. Torkaakighir Abam was slaughtered in a most inhumane manner. More than 15 villages were razed, and thousands displaced in a matter of hours.

Yet, after such a tragedy, there was no immediate condemnation. No swift intervention. No urgency. Only silence.

And that silence spoke volumes.

It created space for further bloodshed. Since then, attacks have continued with alarming frequency. Tor-damisa has been attacked. Tse Akwe, Tse Akume, Sangambe, Anchor Shagu, Iornem. One after the other, communities are being overrun, lives destroyed, and fear entrenched.

The destruction of surrounding villages and the continued displacement of innocent people point to a pattern, one that cannot be ignored, and certainly cannot be described as peace.

Even beyond Nigeria, warning alerts have been issued by international bodies, including a US-based organization, drawing attention to the deteriorating situation and the risks faced by Tiv communities.

The continuous and silent killing of Tiv people across Donga and Takum is no longer incidental, it is systematic in pattern and devastating in impact.

So we ask again: can a state defined by displacement, fear, and bloodshed be called safe?

Safety is not a political statement, it is not declared, it is a lived reality and experienced. And the Tiv people are not experiencing safety.

TATIYODA Worldwide calls on the Taraba State Government to rise to its responsibility: to end the killings,
to restore security in affected communities,
to ensure the safe return of displaced persons,
and to hold perpetrators accountable without bias.

The Tiv people of Taraba are citizens. Their lives matter. Their lands matter. Their future matters.
We will continue to speak. We will continue to demand justice. And we will not be silent while our people are being wiped out.

Signed:

Comr. Ephraim Tordue Kumaga
President, TATIYODA Worldwide

Comr. Muyee Mulega Ioreren
Secretary General, TATIYODA Worldwide
27th March, 2026

When we assumed office on 29th May, 2023, the High Level Roundabout in Makurdi told a story of years of neglect and poor leadership: we inherited dirty streets, poor roads, potholes, flooding, and daily struggles for residents and commuters.

Today, that same landmark is being transformed into a modern High Level Overpass and Underpass, bringing order, safety, and efficiency to one of the busiest gateways in Benue State.

This transformation is about restoring dignity to our capital city and proving that, with commitment and responsible leadership, change is possible.

We inherited challenges, but together we are building solutions that touch lives.