Protect yourselves against herdsmen attack, Benue communities told

BENUE sociocultural groups cutting across the Tiv, Idoma and Igede have ordered their people to defend  themselves if faced with fulani attacks.

Consequently, the groups also threatened to drag the leadership of Miyeitti Allah to court over their claim of owning the Benue valley.

The groups which consist the socio-cultural groups from Tiv, Idoma and Igede vowed to seek the support of other socio cultural groups of other ethnic nationalities in the country; Afenifere, Arewa Consultative Forum, Ndigbo  to institute legal action against the leadership of the Miyeitti Allah.

This was the submission of the Benue socio cultural groups at a press briefing  held at the secretariat of Nigeria Union of Journalist, NUJ, Benue state, Makurdi on Wednesday.

Spokesman of the groups, President General Mdzough U Tiv , Edward  Ujege, said that the statement of the Miyeitti Allah leaders was  an incitement  against the people of Benue.

It will be recalled that  leadership of Miyetti Allah  at the media briefing in Abuja, penultimate Tuesday, claimed original ownership of Benue valley before the Tiv ethnic groups.

Ujege  called on the acting president, Professor Yemi Osibanjo, to immediately order the arrest of the leaders of Miyeitti Allah, just as he  said, ‘if federal government feels reluctant and unwilling to do this (arrest) we are going to seek the support of other socio cultural groups like Afenifere, Arewa Consultative Forum and Ndigbo to take the herdsmen to court.’

According to him, “if this is not done urgently, any breakdown of law and order and further destruction of lives and property by the Fulani herdsmen will be blamed on the federal government for not living up to its constitutional responsibility.”

He described  the assertion of Miyeittii Allah  that they were the original inhabitants of the Benue valley as “absolute ridiculous, preposterous and complete falsehood.”

“There is neither historical, archeological nor anthropological evidence to indicate that the Fulanis ever inhabited the Benue valley at any time before the advent of the Tiv people or any other ethnic groups of Benue state.

“What is veritable and verifiable historical fact is that the forces of the 1804 Islamic Jihad led by the Fulani cleric,  Usman Dan Fodio, were overwhelmingly defeated at the Ushongo hills in Tivland.”

While speaking  on the anti open grazing law, the group said that the objective of the law is to bring to an end the wanton destruction of innocent lives of the Benue people in their hundreds and thousands by the herdsmen.

“The provision of the law is to forestall the continued devastation of the Bemue land and to conform to global best practices for the management of livestock, which is also in the interest of cattle herdsmen,” the groups concluded.