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Tag: Tor Tiv

  • JUST IN: Tor Tiv reconciles Gov Alia, SGF Akume in Gboko

    JUST IN: Tor Tiv reconciles Gov Alia, SGF Akume in Gboko

    The Paramount ruler of the Tiv Nation, HRM Professor James Ayatse, has brokered a peace deal between Governor Hyacinth Alia and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Senator George Akume.

    The reconcilation took place at Tor Tiv Palace in Gboko on Monday night .

    Governor Alia was accompanied to the reconciliation meeting by former Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) National chairman Chief Barnabas Gemade while Senator Akume was accompanied by Senator Jack Gyado and National Assembly members from the State , including Chief Titus Zam( Benue North West); Asema Achado (Gwer+ Gwer West ) and Minister of Water Resources Joseph Utsev.

    Read Also: Why we did not recover $69.4 million electricity debt, by NBET

    The meeting, which stretched late into the night, held under closed doors. It was later open to other political actors and newsmen .

    Alia and Akume shook hands and embraced before Tor Tiv and the public signalling acceptance of the reconciliation deal.

    But the terms of the deal have not been made public.

    Governor Alia’s faction of the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) has already set up another Secretariat headed by Omakolo as chairman while Senator George Akume and the National Secretariat of the APC recognised Austine Agada as the chairman in Benue state.

    Details Shortly…

  • Tor Tiv seeks ultra-modern market in Gboko

    The Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, has appealed to the Federal Government to build an ultra-modern market in Gboko Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State.

    A statement yesterday by his media aide, Freddie Adamgbe, said the monarch spoke when he visited victims of the September 20 Gboko main market fire.

    He was sad that the market did not have modern fire fighting gadgets, and promised to prevail on relevant authorities and critical stakeholders on the need to decongest the market to prevent a recurrence.

    “I am pained by the hardship which the traders are passing through but I have the hope that God will replenish them hundred folds,” he said.

    Chairman of Gboko council Mrs. Becky Orpin praised the monarch for sympathising with the traders, and urged him to use his royal influence to cause relevant authorities to decongest the market and provide facilities to curb future disasters.

    The Tor Jemgbagh, Chief David Afaityo and Chairman of the Market Traders Association, Mr. Matthew Amuche thanked the Tor Tiv for visiting the.

  • We welcome Exercise Cat Race – Tor Tiv

    We welcome Exercise Cat Race – Tor Tiv

    The Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, has pledged the support of the traditional rulers and the entire people of Benue to the Nigerian Army as its conducts Exercise Ayem Akpatuma – Cat Race in the state.

    “We welcome the exercise. We believe it will help peace to return to Benue which has suffered series of attacks from herdsmen,” the traditional ruler said as he received the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen Tukur Buratai on Monday.

    He, however, said the people were apprehensive of the exercise, recalling the clashes between the army and Tiv people at Zakibiam in the past and called for adequate enlightenment on the exercise.

    Ayatse said that the herdsmen attacks which affected Guma, Logo, Gwer West, Makurdi, Kwande, Katsina-Ala and Agatu Local Government Areas of the state had resulted in loss of lives, property and farmlands.

    He noted that since the army deployed its personnel to conduct the exercise in the affected areas, the attacks had been brought under control.

    The traditional ruler expressed concern that more herdsmen were moving into the seven local government areas.

    He appealed to the security agencies to enforce the anti-grazing law which was duly passed by the State House of Assembly and ensure that the perpetrators of the attacks were arrested and prosecuted.

    The traditional ruler, who said that he owns and rears animals, including cattle, said he had since ranched them in line with the law as nobody was above the law.

    Earlier, Buratai informed the Tor Tiv that he was in the state to formally launch the exercise meant to train personnel to assist civil authorities to tackle internal security challenges.

    He explained that Ayem Akpatuma was an exercise and not an operation, but vowed that anyone caught threatening the peace of the state would face the law.

    The chief of army staff solicited the cooperation of the traditional rulers and people of the state in the conduct of the month-long exercise.

    The army is to conduct the exercise in Benue, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Taraba, Kogi and Niger States which had witnessed herdsmen/farmers clashes and other forms of criminality in recent times. (NAN)

  • Tor Tiv: President should visit Benue

    Tor Tiv: President should visit Benue

    Paramount ruler of Tiv nation, His Royal Majesty Tor Tiv V  Prof James Ayatse, said yesterday that only the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Benue State can placate the people who are grieving over the death of 71 persons by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

    Speaking to reporters at his temporary palace in Gboko, the headquarters of the Tiv nation, Prof. Ayatse said Benue people voted massively for the president in 2015 and as such,  it was necessary for  him to identify with them at a time like this.

    He described the attacks on his people as barbaric, unsolicited, unjustifiable, planned and coordinated by herdsmen to eliminate the people from their land.

    ”I am expecting that the President will come but if he does not, then that means he is not treating us as friends.

    ‘’Even if he comes and waves at the people and say I feel your pain and sorrow, it will do a lot of good. When he comes himself, his whole being will be here and the impact on the people will be greater than sending representatives,” he said.

    Decked in a mourning regalia, the chairman, he said:  ’’The President is showing  negligence by being too slow in responding to the warnings given by Governor Samuel Ortom of impending attacks by the herdsmen.  I am  not satisfied with the efforts made so far by the Federal Government in deploying troops to stop the attacks as well as the comments made by the Inspector General of Police who described the killings as communal clash’’, Prof. Ayatse added’.

    According to him, there is yet to be a clear understanding of the reason for the killings.

    “We feel very unhappy that it is happening to us as citizens of Nigeria. We sacrificed for the unity of this country.  There is no household that you go to in Tiv land that you will not find a soldier who fought for this country.  The killings have continued even as I talk with you.

    ”The Federal government has made some efforts but I am not satisfied with the efforts. For the IGP to describe it as communal clash is not fair. We do not share border with Fulani so why would anyone say that it is a communal clash.

    “Anarchy and impunity have taken over our country.  I hope with the coming of the Inspector General of Police, we will see more seriousness. We will see their action and the kind of mandate they have. If they(hersdsmen) stop killing my people,  then I will know the Federal Government is serious”, Prof. Ayatse lamented.

    Commenting on the proposed establishment of cattle colonies by the Federal Government, he said the practice is alien especially to an area where the people are not cattle rearers.

    ”I do not know if it is a Federal Government law which should be domesticated in the states.  I do not know the import of the pronouncement. I have not been briefed adequately on it”.

    The paramount ruler explained that the Council of Northern Traditional Rulers had set up a committee on the crisis.

  • Tor Tiv wants compensation for 2001 Zaki Biam invasion

    The Fifth Tor Tiv, Prof James Ayatse, has called on the Federal Government to compensate the people of Zaki Biam in Katsina-Ala Local Government Council area of the state for the 2001 military invasion that witnessed many killings.

    Ayatse made the request on Friday at his Palace in Gboko while receiving the corpse of a former Chief of Army Staff, retired Lt -Gen. Victor Malu.

    Malu served as Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff between 1999-2001 and had held several positions, including ECOMOG Chief in Liberia.

    Malu, who was 70 years, died on Oct. 9,2017 in Cairo where he had gone for medical treatment.

    The monarch expressed regret that the destruction of the village affected the late general’s country home, stressing that the compensation would be in his honour.

    Ayatse recalled the many sacrifices of Malu to the country, pointing out that he served the country meritoriously through the military in several war theaters across the world.

    He said that 17 years after the military invasion, nothing had been done to assuage the pains and sufferings of Malu’s kinsmen.

    Tor Tiv appealed to the wife of the departed army general to take solace in the many achievements of her husband and move on in life.

    Handing over the remains of Malu to the Tor Tiv, retired Brig-Gen. Nuhu Ade,said the country would continue to remember Malu for his contributions toward peace and stability.
    Nuhu, who was Malus’s personal physician, described Malu as gallant soldier.

    Nuhu was in company of top military personnel and the Tor Sankera, Abu King Shuluwa, and other paramount rulers in Tivland.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Malu will be buried ion Saturday, Oct.28, at his country home, Tse Adoor compound, in Tongov kindred of Katsina -Ala Local Government.

  • Tor Tiv urges monarchs to avoid politics

    The Tor Tiv in Benue State, Prof. James Ayatse, has directed rulers in Tiv land not to attend rallies or receptions that have political undertone, but  interact with aspirants or candidates and bless them.

    His directive is in line with Section 25 (1a-r) of the Benue State Council of Chiefs and Traditional Councils Law 2016, which warned against rulers’ involvement in politics and other related matters.

    The paramount ruler, who addressed graded chiefs in his palace yesterday, urged them to abide by the code of conduct of their offices.

     

  • Flood: Tor Tiv Lauds FG’s prompt intervention

    Flood: Tor Tiv Lauds FG’s prompt intervention

    Prof. James Ayatse, the Tor Tiv and Chairman, Benue Council of Chiefs, has commended the Federal Government for its prompt intervention toward tackling the flood sweeping through the state.

    Ayatse made the commendation on Wednesday in Makurdi, when the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, visited him during his (Osinbajo) assessment tour of flooded areas in Makurdi.

    The monarch said that government’s quick response in providing relief materials had cushioned the hardship faced by victims of the disaster.

    “The gesture showed a clear demonstration of the President’s love for the people of the state,” he said.

    He, however, appealed to the Federal Government to award the contract for the construction of Makurdi-Gboko, Makurdi-Otukpo roads, and declared the two roads as “deplorable death traps”.

    Ayatse said that Benue was an agrarian state and therefore needed good roads to transport food produce to other parts of the country.

    He appealed to governments at all levels to make the payment of workers’ salaries a priority, and urged the Federal Government to assist Benue to defray its backlog of salaries.

    The monarch assured government of the support of traditional institution in the implementation of policies.

    Earlier, Osinbajo had assured the traditional ruler that the government was determined to find a lasting solution to flooding in the state.

    The Vice President, who admitted that paucity of funds was a major setback of the administration, however, assured that efforts would be made to find ways of tackling some of the issues raised by the Tor Tiv.

  • Ranching is panacea to farmers, herdsmen clashes – Tor Tiv

    Ranching is panacea to farmers, herdsmen clashes – Tor Tiv

    The Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, said establishment of ranches was the only solution to the recurring clashes between Farmers and Herdsmen in the country.

    Ayatse said this on Friday in Abuja at a two-day National Security Summit.

    He said that regulating the movement of the herdsmen would be difficult, adding that it was only practicable on paper.

    Ayatse said that the country stood to benefit from the introduction of ranches as jobs would be created for Nigerians.

    He said that ranching would not stop free movement of herdsmen especially if they were passing through a particular state.

    “If you allow free movement without control, you put everybody at risk and this is what we are seeing in Benue, ranching is part of the control,“he said.

    The Tor Tiv said that creating ranches did not go against the ECOWAS Treaty of free movement of persons in the sub-region as it was being thought.

    He said that a committee had been constituted in conjunction with the police in his domain, to identify the “bad eggs” and hand them over to the police.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Benue House of Assembly had recently passed a Bill prohibiting open grazing and allowing the establishment of ranches in the state.

    The bill is entitled:“Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, 2017’’.

    The bill stipulates that anybody who engages in open nomadic livestock herding or grazing in the state, outside the authorised ranches, shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction, be liable to five years imprisonment or N1 million fine or both.

    On criminality in the country, Ayatse blamed unscrupulous politicians for breeding thugs and abandoning them after elections.

    He called on INEC to evolve modern strategies to check issues of ballot box snatching and other forms of election rigging in the country.

    Ayatse said that unless Nigeria as a country planned toward having an enduring security system, it would fail in other aspects of national development.

  • Tor Tiv sends fact-finding team to DSS over Suswam

    Tor Tiv sends fact-finding team to DSS over Suswam

    •Pleads for bail for ex-Benue governor

    The prolonged detention of the immediate past governor of Benue State, Mr. Gabriel Suswam, has attracted the sympathy of the Tiv Traditional Council and the paramount ruler, Professor James Ayatse.

    Tor Tiv V Ayatse has consequently  dispatched   a fact-finding delegation to the Department of State Security Service (DSS) to explore the possibility of arranging  bail for the politician.

    The ex-governor is Tiv.

    But the deal could not sail through owning to the absence of the DSS Director-General, Mr. Lawal Daura, from office.

    The delegation, led by Tor Jechira, Chief Clement Uganden(a First Class Chief  ),only went as far as greeting Suswam.

    The Nation gathered that the brief access granted the chiefs to Suswam  was to prove that he is not  being maltreated as alleged in some quarters.

    Other members of the delegation were   Ter Ukum, Chief Teran Kwaghbo;  Ter Logo, Chief Jimmy Meeme; and Ter Katsina/Ala, Chief Fezanga Wombo.

    They were  received by the Director of Operations of the DSS in the absence of the DG.

    There were indications that the DSS might give the Tiv chiefs another date to have one-on-one interaction with the DG.

    ”The chiefs were allowed access to Suswam who has been in detention since February 25. He was brought out of his detention facility to greet the chiefs to prove that he was not hurt by DSS,” a top source said.

    “The delegation was denied any interaction with the ex-governor.”

    Responding to a question, the source said: “The essence of the visit was to see our son as well as the DG of DSS to find out what is actually the case against Suswam.

    “After the fact check, we will report back to the Tor Tiv, Professor Ayatse, as directed by the Tiv Traditional Council (TTC).

    “We also went to plead with the security agency to consider the possibility of granting Suswam bail because his detention is  dividing the Tiv nation and creating political tension in Benue State.

    “Unfortunately, the Director of Operations could not do much. We will revisit the DSS soon on these demands.”

    This is the second visit by  Benue leaders to  Suswam in custody.

    On the first delegation  were a former Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro; ex-Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Tsav; a former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Mzenda Iho; ex-PDP chairman in Benue State, Emmanuel Agbo;  and the current party chairman, John Mgbede .

    Suswam is being probed in connection with seven petitions, including the alleged link with a militia leader, Terwaze Akwazza (a.k.a Gana) who is holding  three local governments hostage  in Benue State.

    The local government areas are Logo, Katsina-Ala and Ukum

    Suswam has not been able to give DSS ‘credible clues’ which could lead to the arrest of  Akwazza.

    Two of the petitions border on the over 240-page report of Justice Elizabeth Kpojime Commission of Inquiry  into state finances  from 2007 to 2015 and alleged misuse of a N4.5billion sourced from capital market.

    The state government had referred the report of the commission of inquiry against Suswam and 51 others to the DSS and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation and prosecution.

    The over 240-page report alleged that Suswam and many of his appointees including civil servants mismanaged the resources of the state.

    Those blamed include Hon Solomon Wombo, Omodachi Oklobia, Emmanuel Atini, Asen Sambe, Isaiah Ipevnor, Hon Paul Biam, Aza Biam, Maria Iyortyom, Michael Oko Agbam, Miss Ajuma Olokpo and Abel Musa of (GTbank staff).

    Others are Mohammed Kabir Rago, Hon. Terna Kester Ikyenge, Hon Yerfa Atoza Hindan, Terna Iyorkyaan, San Carlos Benue Farms/Barr Tyokegh, Christian Aba (aka Mad Lion), Sunday D. Umoru, Ruth Ijir, Kpaapka, Andrew Ayabam, among many others.

    Some of the corporate bodies fingered in the alleged looting of the state are: Ashitech and Ashi Foods, Carlos Benue Farms, SCAMPT Nigeria Ltd, among others.

    The panel recommended that 52 individuals and 10 corporate bodies should refund over N107 billion to the coffers of the state government.

    It also recommended deeper investigations and possible refund of over N44 billion from transactions they found not in compliance with the laid down financial guidelines.

    The panel said  N1.21 trillion accrued to the state from about 27 identified sources out of which N802 billion was appropriated while N219 billion was expended but not appropriated.

    The former governor, his  Commissioner of Finance, Omadachi Oklobia, former Special Adviser on Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs, Solomon Wombo, and two former permanent secretaries, Emmanuel Atini and Asen Sambe, Messrs Isaiah Ipevnor, a former accountant of the Bureau are alleged to have diverted local government funds amounting to N51, 559,859,968.00 into personal use.

    Suswam is already facing trial before a Federal High Court in Abuja for alleged  N3.1bn fraud relating to the same issue raised by the Justice Kpojime led probe panel.

  • Man defies tradition, sits on Tor Tiv’s seat ahead of coronation

    A man, Stephen Nyitse on Saturday at the JS Stadium Gboko outsmarted security men and sat on the stool prepared for the coronation of the 5th Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse.
    Speaking to security personnel under interrogation, Nyitse said he was prompted by God to cleanse the stool for the new king.
    ” I sat on the stool in order to cleanse it and make it comfortable for the incoming Tor Tiv.”
    Retired Brig.-Gen. Atom Kpera, the Chairman, Central Planning Committee for the coronation, who was present at the scene, ordered security men to take him outside and punish him.
    Officials, however, said they would investigate the motive behind the act.
    Some respondents who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) described the act as “strange and abominable.”
    Meanwhile security measures had been tightened both within and outside the stadium with roads leading to the stadium blocked, while dignitaries are being conveyed to the venue in buses.(NAN)