Land disputes displace hundreds in Benue
Tussles over ownership of land in Benue State have continued to render hundreds of people homeless across the three senatorial districts of the state despite efforts by relevant authorities to slake hostilities among warring factions.
Our correspondent reports that these tussles over piece of lands have existed in some of the disputed areas for ages while others just sprouted occasioned by farming, fishing or development activities.
Sadly, many lives have been lost and property worth billions of naira destroyed in the aftermaths of multiple violence which in recent times swelled the numbers of displaced people in the state.
Presently, according to Governor Samuel Ortom, over 1.5million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are living in the state. Of the number, the majority were displaced from their villages by armed invaders while a significant number were displaced by crisis tied to land disputes in Ado, Agatu, Konshisha, Makurdi, Gwer East, Kwande, Vandekiya, Apa and Gboko Local Government Areas.
The latest of the communal clashes however occurred in Yandev community between people of Mbakpegh of Ipav and Mbatur in Gboko LGA during which 30 houses were razed.
It happened about one week ago, starting on a Saturday night and lasting till early hours of Sunday, causing many people to flee the area.
As an immediate intervention to quell the crisis, however, the state government by the next day took over the disputed piece of land and warned the warring factions not to trespass any further after its officials visited places such as churches, farmlands and markets torched at the wake of violence.
Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof Tony Ijohor, and Security Adviser to the State Government, Col. Paul Hemba (rtd), who paid on the spot assessment visit to the area, warned all parties to the dispute to steer clear of the land in question until the matter is resolved amicably.
The government officials also held meetings with stakeholders and condemned the actions of both parties while urging them to embrace peace for harmonious living.
It would be recalled that in April, this year, a communal crisis in part of the state spiralled out of control that some youths referred to as ‘Bonta boys’ of Konshisha LGA of the state allegedly killed 12 soldiers on peacekeeping mission to their vicinity, a development which led to the military bombardment of the rural surrounding and the result - displacement of hundreds still in camps.
Bonta community in Konshisha LGA and Ukpute - Ainu, an Igede village in Oju LGA had endured an agelong land dispute which has claimed several lives and destruction of property at each renewed rivalry.
Irked by the brutal killings of their colleagues, the troops of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) and other Army detachment invaded the Tiv speaking Bonta community and its environs on revenge mission over the slain soldiers who were said to be on routine patrol in parts of Konshisha and Oju areas respectively when they came under severe armed bandits attack on April 5, 2021.
The soldiers allegedly met their death in the hands of the Bonta boys after they were deployed to quell the fresh bitter rivalry between both communities which broke at this year’s Easter weekend over land ownership.
Similarly, between May and June this year, there were series of fighting which reportedly led to the killing of many villagers in a renewed communal crisis between natives of Ezza and Effium in boundary villages of Ado local government area of Benue State and Ohaukwu local government area of Ebonyi State.
Many of the affected people have lost their homes and have nowhere apart from shelters at the camp to lay their heads.
Also in June, the communal disagreement which won’t simply go away among the Agatu villages erupted again and the brunt is still being borne by those affected.
Severally, the state’s Deputy Governor, Engr. Benson Abounu, who heads the peace committee had initiated talks amongst the aggrieved people to nib the lingering crisis between the communities in the affected areas in the bud but after a while, the warring factions would renege on their agreement to end the dispute.
In March 2020, at least three persons were killed in a yet-to-be established disagreement involving two communities in Agatu and Apa LGAs of the state.
Our correspondent had gathered that the affected neighbouring communities - Odejo in Agatu LGA and Ikobi in Apa LGA had over the years coexisted peacefully and never had any history of crisis until that sudden violence occurred.
In the same vein, a pregnant woman alongside others became casualties while fleeing the communal crisis that rocked Tyo Mu, a suburb of Makurdi, the state capital, in January 2020.
The crisis erupted at the community due to struggle for ownership of land between the indigenes - Iharev and the settlers - Iparev, both of Tiv extraction, such that in the end, 37 houses were set ablaze while hundreds of residents fled the entire community.
Furthermore, the consistent Tiv/Jukun crisis in Taraba State with its usual spill-over to border line villages in Benue State had left nothing but bitter taste for the inhabitants of Ukum, Kastina-Ala and Logo, all three local government areas which made up Sankera, where dreaded militia kingpins including the late Terwase Agwaza (Gana) held sway.
In July 2020, at least 10 villagers were killed in a circumstance which police blamed on communal crisis at Ayilamo in Tombo Council ward of Gaambe Tiev in Logo LGA.
And while parts of Ushongo and Kwande LGAs respectively had their share of communal tussles over land ownership, the inter-state communal crisis between Vandekiya LGA in Benue State and a border community in Cross River State as well as between Agila in Ado LGA and Ngbor people of Ebonyi State, coupled with the communal fights among people of Agatu area and another of the Gwer East LGA and Makurdi rural areas, have become insecurity thorns in the flesh of residents of the state.
The socio-political and economic effects of the clashes on the villagers have largely resulted to retrogression which would likely impact negatively on food production.
But, as part of measures to nib the trend in the bud, Governor Ortom had variously suspended traditional heads of affected areas and handed over suspected persons fuelling crisis in their domains to security agencies during security meetings held to address the matters.
Ortom had, earlier this year, suspended the District Head of Mbatser/Mbamusa in Konsisha while recalling three others of Kastina-Ala area of the state.
The suspension of the affected traditional ruler, Zaki Mbanongun Gbakera, followed the crisis between people of his Konshisha area and an Igede community in Oju LGA of the state.
The governor said the resolutions were reached during the state security council meeting held at the Government House in Makurdi.
He said, “the meeting resolved that the District Head of Mbatser/Mbamusa in Konsisha LGA, Zaki Mbanongun Gbakera should immediately be suspended for complicity in the crisis.”
Similarly, in 2020, following the destruction of houses at Ikpayongo and Ayati communities due to land feud between the people of Mbasombo and Shough Council Wards in Gwer East LGA, the governor handed over seven suspects to security agents for investigation and prosecution.
He also suspended three monarchs - the District Head of Mbasombo community, Chief Abgegh Kuhe and District Head of Shogus community, Chief Peter Kyum, both in Gwer East LGA and Kindred Head of Utange Ward in Ushongo LGA, Chief Iorer Gumba Dominic.
Ortom frowned at the action of communities from the two council wards, saying such would not be condoned under his administration as he further directed security agents to arrest those mentioned in connection with the crisis but were not at the meeting.
He lamented that it was highly regrettable for people who are bonded together in poverty to resort to destruction of homes they suffered to build, saying such actions would be met with severe consequences.
He mandated the Ter Gwer, Chief Dominic Akpe, to liaise with illustrious sons from the local government area for amicable resolution of the crisis just as a panel had been constituted by the state security council to tackle the issues bordering on the communal crisis for which the traditional heads were suspended.
On the communal crisis in Agatu, Governor Ortom summoned a security meeting to consider remote and immediate causes of the crisis with a view to bringing perpetrators to book while he noted that efforts have been intensified between the governments of Benue and Ebonyi states to ensure lasting peace among people living at the border communities.
However, in spite of all these measures put in place by the state government, communal crisis seemed not to have abated as villagers take advantage of any slight provocation to defy the peace accord and renew their grievances.