Don’t change narrative of killings, Benue group tells FG

The Tiv Youth Organisation (TYO) Thursday accused the presidency of trying to change the narrative about the killings of innocent people in Benue state by suspected Fulani herdsmen.


TYO made the accusation while reacting to the statement credited to the presidency and signed by Mallam Garba Shehu, the senior special assistant on Media and Public Affairs to President Muhamadu Buhari.

Shehu wa quoted as saying that Benue and Anambra were killing innocent people in reprisal attacks. He had in the statement alleged that after the killing of 11 persons in Gwer West local government area of Benue state, mobs blocked roads to unleash terror and violence on innocent people in reprisal.
But reacting in a statement signed by its president, Mr. Timothy Hembaor, the TYO said the statement by Garba again brought to the fore the conspiracy theory being advanced by the presidency with the aim to changing narratives regarding the latest attacks on Tiv farmers by suspected Fulani militia.


TYO which is the youth wing of the Tiv socio-cultural group stated that the assertion by Shehu and his co- travelers was nothing but tissues of cheap lies.
TYO said the latest killings were been carried out by the herders and had nothing to do with any reprisal motive by the locals as Shehu tried to paint.
TYO said it was worried that instead of looking deep with a view to getting a lasting solution to the wave of insecurity that currently pervades the country, the presidency was busy trading blames having known fully well those terrorising Nigerians.


The group said: “It was unimaginable for the presidency to have asserted that it was the locals who have been under consistent attacks that were now killing their fellow brothers in form of a reprisal.
“TYO calls on the presidency to retract the statement and also tender unreserved apologies to Benue people.
“TYO notes that the statement was a mockery on the sensibilities of those that were been attacked and killed by the herders.
“This also amounts to a dance on the graves of those who have been killed by the Fulani militia,” the statement added.

Leave a Reply