The Taraba Tiv People’s Association (TATIPA) Abuja chapter has raised alarm over the worsening humanitarian crisis facing Tiv communities in Taraba State, citing targeted killings, mass displacement, cultural erasure, and systemic marginalization.
The association also lamented that despite historical acknowledgement by colonial authorities, Tiv traditional rulers have not been elevated to graded chiefdoms, unlike their counterparts in Wukari, Donga, and Takum, who have held First Class Chief titles for decades.
The former Political Adviser to the Taraba State Government and TATIPA Board of Trustees member, Hon. Orbee Uchiv, disclosed this in Abuja, during a press briefing, describing the plight of the Tiv people as “a tragedy enabled by institutional neglect and emboldened by political opportunism.”
He appealed to both the federal and state governments, as well as the international community, to intervene before the Tiv people “are completely erased” from their ancestral homeland.
Quoting historical figures and archival sources, Uchiv narrated centuries of coexistence and military cooperation between the Tiv and Jukun peoples, including joint resistance to Fulani jihadist incursions in the 19th century.
He lamented that this once cordial relationship has been manipulated and weaponized by modern political actors, leading to repeated cycles of violence.
Uchiv said: “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 hospitalized), burning 15 houses, and looting properties.
“These attacks may be linked to community opposition to the proposed military barracks, including a peaceful demonstration by women of Ikyaior.
“We also condemn the conduct of Mr. Angyu Yavini, who, on the day before the Deke attack, was seen harassing women on their farms and ordering them to vacate without justification. His actions are unconstitutional and unacceptable in any civil society.”
He also condemned the cancellation of over 58 polling units in Tiv communities, effectively disenfranchising tens of thousands of eligible voters, particularly in Wukari LGA.
He accused some security operatives of bias and complicity, claiming that displaced Tiv persons are being prevented from returning to their homes, while Jukun counterparts are resettled under security protection. Security outposts, the group noted, exist only in Jukun communities.
Uchiv traced the most recent escalation to April 1, 2019, when renewed Jukun-Tiv hostilities erupted, triggering what TATIPA called an “avoidable conflict” that has devastated entire communities.
He added, “In Wukari Local Government Area (LGA) alone, over 230 Tiv villages have been deserted, with similar scenes in Ibi (31 villages), Donga (20 villages), and Takum LGAs. 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,” the statement concluded.”
In his remarks, the TATIPA official, Jacob Gbagede, insisted that Tiv people are not settlers in Taraba State but indigenous contributors to its development and political history.
He said, “We were in Taraba long before the arrival of some other tribes. We must not be treated as strangers in our own land.”
