Confrontations between the Tivs and the Cross River community reignite, five are decapitated

Retaliatory killings between the Ijiegu-Yache of the Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State and the Tiv people of Benue State apparently started Wednesday, with five people reportedly being decapitated.

This was confirmed on Wednesday by the community’s Tiv leader, Chief Jacob Uswa, who also mentioned that numerous others had suffered maiming.

When the Yache lads went to their farms to gather cassava, he claimed that they killed their own.

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They attacked and beheaded three of our lads on their farms on Sunday, October 8, 2023, after they had gone there to gather cassava for fufu.

“Two further people died in a different farm. The Yache people saw the heads on display. The Yache guys are swarming the bushes in preparation to assault us, he declared.

They had to defend themselves when the Tiv militia launched attacks against them on their farms, according to Augustine Adula, a young leader in the Ijiegu-Yache community.

He asserted that the Tiv lads attack the women and farmers while they are on their farms harvesting the crops.

We have consistently been attacked by those Tiv settlers. They break into our neighbourhood while wearing military camouflage, and occasionally they’ll sneak up on us via the bushes and assault.

In order to defend our territory and people, our boys have ceased attending their businesses and schools and have taken up positions in the bushes, according to Adula. This way, they can halt the Tivs when they arrive covertly.

Adula claims that the circumstance has made life extremely tough for them, adding that stores and schools have been closed because of ingrained fears for their safety.

The Tivs’ alleged refusal to make further royalties payments on the land they settled on is what started the conflict. Last month, as a result, homes on both sides were destroyed and people were killed.

However, the Tivs assert that because they have lived in the area for more than a century, they are more of a Cross River than a Benue State native.

The fact that there are so few security personnel—including soldiers—and that they are largely stationed in the city, leaving the hinterlands incredibly vulnerable to ongoing massacres, has been lamented by both community leaders.

Before visiting the town, the two deputy governors of the two states—Peter Odey of Cross River State and Sam Ode of Benue State, respectively—called for an end to hostilities as they worked to achieve peace.

Irene Ugbo, police PRO, stated that they had not yet received a formal complaint regarding the most recent killings.