Nasarawa Tiv Accuse Governor of Ethnic Cleansing and Land Grab

•Community Leaders Allege State-Sponsored Displacement Under Guise of Agricultural Development

Tensions are escalating in Nasarawa State as Tiv community leaders have leveled serious accusations against Governor Abdullahi Sule, alleging a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing and land grabbing. Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Jerry Terkaa Aondo presented a stark picture of state-sponsored oppression, claiming that Governor Sule is exploiting the guise of agricultural development to forcibly displace Tiv people from their ancestral lands.
Aondo detailed how state machinery, including the military, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and various government ministries, are allegedly being deployed to demolish Tiv villages and undermine their traditional institutions across Awe, Obi, Keana, and Doma Local Government Areas. He specifically named villages such as Udugh, Utsuwa, Usula, China, Chabo, Wachi, Tyungu, Uvirkaa, Ugba, and Ayarkeke as having already been destroyed, marked for demolition, or subjected to forced displacement.
The situation in Udugh village, according to Aondo, exemplifies the alleged brutality of this campaign. He stated that following a visit by the governor on May 4th, bulldozers, accompanied by armed soldiers and civil defence operatives, descended upon the village to raze homes, schools, churches, and even graveyards, leaving residents with no choice but to flee their ancestral homes. Furthermore, Aondo claimed that women in Osula village were forcibly driven from their farmlands, effectively stripping families of their livelihoods.
Dismissing the narrative of agricultural development, Aondo asserted, “What is happening is not development. It is ethnic persecution carried out in the name of agriculture.” He further pointed to the burning of Gbaghtar village in Doma LGA by armed herdsmen on May 10th as evidence of a climate of insecurity allegedly enabled by the state. Aondo also accused certain traditional rulers, including the Osoho of Agwatashi, Dr. Abubakar Apeshi, of complicity in the alleged oppression by denying Tiv people indigene certificates and facilitating the destruction of their settlements.
In light of these grave allegations, the Tiv community is urgently appealing to President Bola Tinubu and the National Security Adviser for immediate intervention. They are calling for a halt to the ongoing demolitions, the deployment of security forces to the affected areas to protect the vulnerable population, and a thorough investigation into Governor Sule’s alleged role in these activities.
“The agricultural mandate being touted is a cover. This is about grabbing land, erasing our identity, and commercialising our lives and properties for personal gain,” Aondo warned, emphasizing the potential for these unchecked actions to ignite wider communal unrest. He also revealed that letters detailing their plight, sent to the governor, state officials, and security agencies, have been met with silence. A visibly distressed Aondo added, “I cannot practise law or sleep well because of the killing of Tiv people in Nasarawa State.”
As of the time of this report, Governor Abdullahi Sule has not issued any official response to these serious accusations. The unfolding situation in Nasarawa State raises significant concerns about human rights and the potential for further conflict.