Nasarawa: Bassa tribe, which has been displaced, demands that the FG step in

The Bassa tribe, who were uprooted from their home in the Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, have appealed to Nigeria’s federal government to take action on their behalf.

Comr. Abdullahi Shuaibu, Acting Secretary of the National Bassa Youth Development Association, revealed this on Monday, stating that the Bassas had lost millions of Naira’s worth of homes and lives as a result of the displacement incident.

Shuaibu expressed his deep concern that the Nasarawa State Government, led by Governor Abdulahi Sule, had not taken the necessary steps to enable the displaced people to return to their ancestral homes. He also pointed out that the state government had not provided any kind of support for the plight of the internally displaced people, including palliative care or provisions for camps.

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He said that despite the efforts of the royal fathers, elders, and youths from both the Bassa and Ebira communities to interact with the state government, local authorities, and pertinent parties both inside and outside the state, there hasn’t seemed to be any progress. He attributed this lack of development to the political climate and strategy used by the current administration with regard to the return of the displaced Bassa community.

“It’s puzzling that we worked hard but experienced neglect from the state government,” the man added. “Without fail, Sule has neglected the Bassa people in his administration as he has not recognised or featured any Bassa person in his cabinet and this is one of the tribes known in the state.”

Shuaibu urged the Federal Government to step in and take immediate action to help the Bassa tribe return to their ancestral lands, as well as to include other relevant parties.

“We demand an immediate intervention from Your Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Vice President Kashim Shettima, President Godswill Akpabio of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, and all notable personalities (domestic and foreign) since the Bassa people of the area have remained in exile till date since the communal crisis began in April 2018 in Toto LGA of Nasarawa State,” he continued.