Benue community cries out over marginalisation

… seeks Tinubu’s intervention

The Jukun Wanu ethnic community in Benue State has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the resolution of the age-long marginalisation and inhumane treatment of its people by successive administrations in the state.

President of the National Association of Jukun Wanu (NAJUW), Moses Amankye, who addressed a news conference on Saturday in Abuja, said that because of decades of neglect, the Jukun Wanu communities, especially those residing in Benue State’s Makurdi, Guma, Logo, and other local government areas, have become vulnerable in the face of the ongoing herders-farmers conflict in the state.

The Baga Jukun of North-Bank Makurdi, Chief Dangana Audu, was in attendance, while the Secretary-General of NAJUWA, Musa Atase, read the text of the news conference.

Amankye highlighted the pains and predicament the Jukun-Wanu people of Benue State face as a result of deeply entrenched and systemic marginalisation of the communities in the state by the Tiv people, whom he described as the major ethnic nationality in Benue.

According to him, the Jukun Wanu people have been marginalised from the scheme of things in the state, saying the communities are left without representation in government, either at the state or national level, with the situation exacerbated by the complete absence of social amenities.

“Our hearts are heavy with sorrow over the injustices we continue to face, but we remain resolute in our commitment to peace, justice, and truth.

“There is a complete absence of government infrastructure and services in our communities—no secondary schools, no hospitals, no roads, and no access to clean water.

“Our heritage and identity; the Jukun Wanu, riverine descendants of the historic Kwararafa Empire, are a people with a rich and well-documented heritage. Our longstanding tradition of peaceful coexistence and hospitality is evident in our relationships with neighbouring communities across Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba, and Adamawa states.

“In Benue State alone, Jukun Wanu communities are found in about 21 locations across Makurdi, Guma, and Logo Local Government Areas.

“Despite being the original inhabitants and rightful custodians of lands now comprising 14 Local Government Areas, we have endured marginalisation, suppression, and inhumane treatment.

“Our history and identity have been repeatedly challenged and distorted, yet we have consistently chosen dialogue and lawful means over retaliation,” Amankye said.

He said there was the urgent need to address the global community through the media because of the persistent misrepresentation, bullying, and dispossession faced by the Jukun Wanu people, saying the Association is particularly troubled by the escalation of misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric, which has led to violence, loss of lives, and destruction of property.

“The media is replete with allegations, and the response from authorities has often been inadequate, leaving our communities vulnerable,” he stated.

Amankye, therefore, called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene by urging the Benue State Governor Rev. Hyacinth Alia to consider and act on the review of Chieftaincy Laws, saying the Benue State Traditional Council and Chieftaincy Laws of 2016 must be reviewed and amended to formally recognise the traditional stools and leadership structures of the Jukun-Wanu people.

He equally called on the Federal and State Governments to implement the recommendations of past commissions of enquiry into the Tiv-Jukun-Wanu conflict, most notably: -the Justice Oki Commission Report (1995); the Commassie Commission Report (2003).

NAJUWA also demanded the formal reinstatement and recognition of Jukun Wanu’s historic chiefdoms at Abinsi and Agyogo (Wurkum Makurdi), in line with the 1934 documentation of the Jukun-Wanu Chiefdom.

Other demands of the association include grading of traditional stools, noting that the Jukun Wanu traditional leadership structures should be formally graded and incorporated into the state’s chieftaincy framework.

“We seek immediate government intervention to provide functional secondary schools, health care centres and hospitals, roads and drainage systems, potable water and other essential public utilities,” Amankye stated.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the Association towards ensuring peaceful co-existence with other communities in the state, insisting, however, that there must be justice, inclusion, and equity for the Jukun-Wanu people.

“We demand our rightful place in the socio-political and economic structure of Benue State and Nigeria at large,” he said.

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