OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY, BOLA TINUBU PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA Subject: REJECTION OF THE PROPOSED RANCHING PROGRAMME IN BENUE STATE AND DEMAND FOR THE RESETTLEMENT OF OUR PEOPLE Your Excellency, We, the Tiv people residing in the Russian Federation, write under the auspices of the Mutual Union of Tiv in Russia (MUTRU), to formally and unequivocally register our profound rejection of the Federal Government's proposed plan to establish pilot ranches in Benue State. We write with heavy hearts, representing a people who are deeply connected to their ancestral homeland. We are not opposed to modern agricultural practices in principle. However, we view this specific proposal, as currently conceived, with the deepest suspicion. For the indigenous people of Benue State, this is not a development program; it is a systematic plan disguised as policy to dispossess us of our ancestral lands and hand them over to Fulani herders under the guise of "modern ranching." RECENT GENOCIDAL ATTACKS AND DISPLACEMENT DATA IN BENUE AND NASARAWA STATES. BENUE STATE: The Yelewata Massacre (June 2025 Attack): On the night of June 13, 2025, Fulani militants brutally massacred over 258 innocent civilians as they slept in Guma Local Government Area. The attackers burned homes to the ground, forcing survivors to flee in terror. This horrific pattern of violence has repeated itself across Benue State, with similar large-scale attacks documented in Kwande, where three out of the five council wards in Turan have been displaced and taken over by Fulani herdsmen namely Moon, Mbadura, and Yaav council wards. Other attacks from Kwande local government include the Christmas Eve Massacre of 2024 from Turan that killed over 54 lives. Another ugly incident happened on September 30, 2025, the Nigerian army was implicated in a devastating and unprovoked attack in Jato-Aka, Turan, Kwande LGA of Benue State, where they killed five innocent persons who had gathered to bury their king (Ortar). This brutal act has rightfully prompted the paramount ruler of Kwande HRH Ambrose Iortyer Tor Kwande (1) alongside his people to demand the immediate withdrawal of the army from his kingdom, marking the second of such call from a Benue monarch in just one year, following a similar plea from HRH Daniel Abomtse (JP) Ter Tyoshin due to a complete erosion of trust in their operations. It is a profound and painful betrayal that the very institution tasked with protecting our people is now perpetrating violence against them, leading our communities to ask in anguish: are they here to complete the grim work that the Fulani bandits could not finish? We must tell Mr. President in the clearest terms that the Nigerian army was not known for such heinous acts, and this descent into brutality against the citizens it is sworn to defend is an unacceptable perversion of its duty and a stain on the nation's conscience, such is an act of evil and the perpetrators must be brought to book. From the Sankera Intermediate Area, comprising three local governments (Ukum, Logo, and Katsina-Ala), the data revealed that: In Ukum LGA, six council wards have been displaced, preventing indigenous people from farming this season. These wards include Kundav, Boko, Ugbam, Uyam, Mbazum, and Tulyuv. In Katsina-Ala LGA, seven council wards have been displaced: Mbatula, Mbajir, Utange, Mbacher, Mbayongo, Youghyol, and Till Ward. In Logo LGA, five council wards have been displaced: Tombo, Ukember Agya, Mbagber, Iyonov, and Mbater. From Gwer West Local government area, the data revealed that, between 8th February, 2011 to 3rd July, 2025. 162 attacks were recorded and 683 people were Killed, forcing the survivors to run and leave their villages. Other affected local government areas in Benue State include Apa, Otukpo, Gwer, makurdi, Guman , Agatu, Okpokwu and Ado. NASARAWA STATE: Recent Attacks (2024): Over 150 killed in Toto LGA, others include the various attacks in Obi, Doma and Keana LGAs. Your excellency sir, due to persistent attacks by herdsmen without any security intervention, over thirty thousand Tiv farmers have been displaced from the following major settlements: Doka District, Doma LGA: Dooga, Tsekere, Gborgyor, Gbatar, Churugh, and Shirwua villages. Kwara District, Keana LGA: Antse, Chia, Shuwa, Sarwuan, Dooshima, Umelai, and Ihwamdza villages. Kadariko District, Keana LGA: Anum, Sule, Ayua, Bature, Tse Iyo, Adzer, Usue, Myem, and Alima villages. Wuge/Galadima District, Giza Chiefdom, Keana LGA: Nguur, Utsaha, Ankyegh, Madi/Abagu, Uhina, Kalachi, Awaaga, Dogo, Ihwabo, Ajo, Ambira, Tsegena, Zegi, Tse Ahan, Ambir, Kwaamo, Tse Akula, Amudu, Uwunde, Nyitamen, Suule, Akuruku, and Agbile. Keana South District, Keana LGA: Kukudu, Adaga, Chahur, Tse Asayi, and Tse Yesi. As at the time of collecting this data,we got a report that approximately 5,000 displaced Tiv people were taking refuge in Central Primary School and Giza West Primary School (Giza). Another 5,000 were also sheltering in Kadariko North Primary School and its surrounding area, while 10,000 have sought refuge in Agyaragu town and Lafia. [Source: Mdzough U Tiv Nasarawa state] Many places in Nasarawa state that are displaced were not captured in this report because of lack of time to collect the data. LAND IS OUR INHERITANCE, NOT A COMMODITY FOR TRANSFER Your Excellency, the land of Benue is not vacant or idle. It is our inheritance, passed down from our ancestors. We are predominantly a farming people, and every inch of arable land is vital for our survival. With a rapidly growing population, our farmers already struggle to secure sufficient land for cultivation. The suggestion that land can be carved out for ranches when our indigenous farmers lack enough for food production is insensitive to our reality. We echo the voices of our leaders back home, including the Nigeria Catholic Diocesan Priests Association, who have stated clearly, "Our Land is not for Sale," and that "there is no land in Benue State for commercial ranching". The Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of 2017, which was enacted after extensive consultation to protect our people, must not be undermined by a federal or state policy that threatens our security and agricultural livelihood. DISPLACEMENT BEFORE DEVELOPMENT Your Excellency, it is a grave injustice to talk about new land use for ranches while over 1,000,000 Benue people remain in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. Our people have been in these camps for over 16 years because of attacks that forced them off their farmlands. This is a humanitarian crisis of immense proportions. We ask the Federal Government: How can you allocate our land for cattle while the owners of that land are refugees in their own country? Instead of proceeding with this ill-advised ranching project, we demand that the Federal Government prioritize a comprehensive resettlement program. Our people must be enabled to return to their houses, reclaim their ancestral lands, and receive the empowerment needed to start a new life. RANCHING BELONGS TO THE NORTHERN STATES NOT MIDDLE BELT. Your Excellency, we note the global standard of ranching. If the Federal Government is determined to adopt this practice, it should establish these ranches in states where the Fulani herders are predominantly residing—states like Sokoto, Kano, Borno, Bauchi, and other Northern states. To impose it on Benue and Nasarawa, where the land is owned by farmers, is to encourage a collision between two incompatible ways of life and further a narrative of land grabbing that has caused so much bloodshed. THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF DISPLACEMENT The repeated genocidal attacks in Nigeria, particularly in Benue, Plateau, Taraba and Nasarawa states, have had devastating economic repercussions on the Tiv people living abroad, especially those in Russia whose relatives have been directly affected. Many diaspora Tiv, already burdened by the emotional trauma of losing loved ones are now forced to send emergency funds for burials, medical care, and the relocation of surviving family members diverting resources from their own livelihoods and investments. Additionally, the persistent insecurity erodes global confidence in Nigeria’s stability, making it harder for diaspora communities to attract foreign partnerships or investment back home. The psychological and financial strain on Tiv abroad further diminishes their ability to contribute meaningfully to both their host countries and Nigeria’s economy, exacerbating the cycle of hardship for affected families. Your Excellency sir, we want to remind you of the profound sacrifices made by Benue heroes to ensure Nigeria remained one indivisible nation both during and after the civil war. Thereby, calling your attention to the valor of Colonel Joseph Akaahan Agbo (rtd) Nigerian former Chief of army staff, the wisdom of Dr. Wantaregh Paul Iorpuu Unongo,Senator J.S Tarkaa, Major Gideon Orkaa (rtd), Brig. Gen. Gbehe S. Ikya (rtd), Major Gen. John Mark Inienge (rtd) and the international acclaim brought by Lt. General Samuel Victor Malu (rtd), who as Chief of Army Staff and ECOMOG Force Commander, led a coalition of ten ECOWAS nations to restore peace in both Liberia and sierra Leone, transcending all differences. These giants, among countless others whose names cannot be listed for lack of space, paid their dues by sacrificing their lives for this nation and their people deserve the better life they fought for, not this daily harvest of killings and systematic way of grabbing the lands they left for their children. CONCLUSION Your Excellency sir, we call on you to intervene. The path to peace in Benue does not lie in the imposition of a policy that is seen as a reward for violence and dispossession. It lies in the restoration of justice, the resettlement of the IDPs, and the protection of the rights of indigenous farmers to their inherited land. We demand that the Federal Government respect the constitutional rights of the Benue people, engage transparently with the State Government, traditional rulers and other stakeholders like MUTRU, and ensure that discussions on national livestock policy are built on consent, not coercion. We the family of Mzough U Tiv Russia (MUTRU) are telling you and the whole world in clear terms that the ancestral lands belonging to the peace-loving people of Benue are not bargaining chips and Benue must not be enslaved through policy. Best regards, Sign. 1. Chief D.T Tuleun (L.MAN) president Mutual union of Tiv in Russia MUTRU. 2. Peter Aondoaver Tersugh Secretary General Mutual Union of Tiv in Russia MUTRU.

Posted: 2months ago

Author: Editor in Chief

Current date: 18 October 2026