President, Tiv Development Association (TIDA) in Nasarawa State, Comrade Peter Ahemba has accused politicians of aiding the incessant attacks on Tiv communities by their refusal to take action to halt the anomaly.
He said the inability of politicians in the state to take action or condemned the acts, has emboldened the perpetrators to unleash mayhem on Tiv communities in some parts of the state by suspected herdsmen.
The position came against the backdrop of recent attacks on communities in Keana and Obi local government areas of the state with some numbers of fatalities.
In one of the attacks which took place Friday night, a woman had her breast cut off, while a man was also killed when gunmen suspected to be herdsmen, invaded Gidan Ityotyev, a Tiv farming community in Obi Local Government Area of the state.
Speaking during a sympathy visit to Ityotyev, Ahemba said the silence by some politicians in the southern senatorial district of the state in the face of a sustained onslaught against the Tiv people, was suspect.
He said such politicians, who have little or no sympathy with the unprovoked attacks on the Tiv people will eventually come seeking votes from the traumatized survivors of the tracks.
“Why are the attacks targeted mainly on Tiv farmers and why has it become a recurring decimal that our people are displaced in every election year?
“It is now obvious that the selective attacks and killing of innocent Tiv farmers have a political undertone. The conspiracy of silence from our representatives at both state and national levels is true and worrisome.
“We have so far lost twenty-one of our kinsmen from across Doma, Keana and Obi LGAs within the last two months due to brutal attacks by armed herdsmen with many others sustaining varying degrees of injuries.
“It is very unfortunate that none of our representatives either the State or National Assembly has openly condemned the ugly development, apart from Chairmen of the affected LGAs, who have been doing their best to ensure peace,” he said.
He, however, commended the state governor, Engr. Abdullahi Sule for his relentless efforts towards restoring peace in the affected areas and appealed for more decisive measures in this direction.
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