The Taraba Tiv People’s Association (TATIPA), Abuja chapter, has decried the escalating humanitarian crisis affecting Tiv communities in Taraba State.
The association highlighted targeted killings, mass displacement, cultural erasure, and systemic marginalisation as ongoing challenges.
During a press briefing in Abuja, former Political Adviser to the Taraba State Government and member of TATIPA’s Board of Trustees, Orbee Uchiv, described the situation as “a tragedy enabled by institutional neglect and emboldened by political opportunism.”
He appealed for urgent intervention from the federal and state governments, as well as the international community, warning that the Tiv people risk being “completely erased” from their ancestral homeland.
Uchiv referenced historical accounts of the Tiv and Jukun peoples’ long-standing coexistence and military cooperation, including joint resistance to Fulani jihadist incursions in the 19th century. He lamented that this once cordial relationship has been “manipulated and weaponised by modern political actors,” resulting in repeated cycles of violence.
He detailed recent attacks, stating: “On May 10, 2025, armed men suspected to be Jukun militia ambushed and killed several Tiv individuals en route to their farms at Tse-Bidi near Tor-Musa. Eight bodies were recovered, and several others remain missing. Just four days earlier, on May 6, 2025, heavily armed men invaded Deke village near Ikyaior, shooting Mr. Mdue Ashu (who is currently hospitalised), burning 15 houses, and looting properties.”
Uchiv suggested that the attacks might be linked to community opposition to a proposed military barracks, including a peaceful demonstration by women of Ikyaior.
He further condemned the actions of Mr Angyu Yavini, who was reportedly seen harassing women on their farms the day before the Deke attack, ordering them to vacate without justification. Uchiv described such actions as “unconstitutional and unacceptable in any civil society.”
He also criticised the cancellation of over 58 polling units in Tiv communities, disenfranchising tens of thousands of eligible voters, particularly in Wukari Local Council. Accusations of bias and complicity were levelled against some security operatives, with claims that displaced Tiv persons are being prevented from returning to their homes, while Jukun communities are resettled under security protection.
Uchiv traced the recent escalation to April 1, 2019, when renewed Jukun-Tiv hostilities broke out, leading to widespread devastation. He stated: “In Wukari Local Council alone, over 230 Tiv villages have been deserted, with similar scenes in Ibi (31 villages), Donga (20 villages), and Takum Council.
“More than 280,000 Tiv persons have reportedly been rendered homeless. Our people are dying. Our children are out of school. Hunger and disease are rampant. The world must not stand by and watch people disappear.”
TATIPA official Jacob Gbagede reaffirmed that the Tiv people are not settlers in Taraba but indigenous contributors to the state’s development. He stated: “We were in Taraba long before the arrival of some other tribes. We must not be treated as strangers in our own land.”
