Jukun women in Taraba protest against spouses’ killings by suspected Tiv militias, group clears Benue indigenes of wrongdoing

Jukun women took to the streets of Donga in Donga Local Council of Taraba State to protest against the incessant killings by suspected Tiv militias of their spouses.

During a march to the palace of the first class traditional ruler of the emirate, Chief Stephen Bayonga, the females expressed dismay that he had not deemed it fit to end the orgy of violence.

Donning black attires, the women were unsparing of the state government and security operatives, whom they alleged, had not been proactive in arresting the situation.

Some of them who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that the protest was necessitated by the “ongoing killings of our men by the Tiv militias, which our king, government and security operatives seem unbothered about.”

Reeling out figures of their men and youths allegedly murdered in the last two weeks, they called on the Federal Government to urgently come to their aid by deploying additional security personnel to the area.

Since the eruption of the recent violence in Kante village of Wukari council area between the Tiv and Jukun ethnic groups which led to wanton destruction of lives and property, the state had not known peace as the gladiators keep killing one another secretly.

Besides forcing motorists to seek alternative routes, the menace has also affected economic activities adversely in the area. The ripple effect being the relocation of business owners to adjourning settlements.

In a swift reaction, the President General of Tiv Social Cultural Association, Chief Goodman Dahida, exonerated his ethnic nationality of the allegations, stating: “The Tiv are peace-loving people. We did not kill anybody as claimed by the women and we shall never indulge in such act.”

He noted that his leadership had mapped out plans to engage in peace process “because our people are the one at the receiving end.  Our people are being killed on a daily basis.  We have been displaced.”

Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, David Misal, said: “I am not aware of any protest in Donga,” adding that “rather than accusing the police, the people should be applauding us because the commissioner has deployed enough policemen to the areas.”