Tyo- Mu Concern Youth Vanguard has accused Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom of stage-managing his attack at the weekend to steal the land of Tyo-Mu people.
The Benue governor was reportedly attacked at the community by 15 suspected Fulani herdsmen on Saturday on the Makurdi-Gboko road.
In a statement on Tuesday,by the President of the association,Vershima Tsebee they accused the Governor of acquiring their land without paying a dime claiming the attack was designed by the Governor to send the community packing from the area.
” We have no place to live; our inheritance has been razed down without compensation or prosecution of those involved in the crisis.
“There is no mechanism put here to prevent this dastardly destruction of lives and property up till now.
“Then we wake up to find out that Governor Ortom is purchasing the land. We feel that the alleged attack is to further frighten the people and scare them away from the area to pave way for the governor’s land-grabbing agenda.”
Tsebee further accused the Ortom government of indifference in settling the age-long communal crises between the Ihyarev and the Kparev, which has claimed many lives and properties worth hundreds of millions of Naira.
What we have witnessed here for decades has been land crisis between Hyarev and Kparev. The last one led to the suspension of district heads.
“We were surprised to later learn that Governor Ortom came from the blues and bought the vast land for his private farm business when the people whose loved ones, houses and properties were destroyed have not been compensated,” the group added.
“The inhabitants are 100 percent Tiv-speaking people and predominantly farmers.
“Because they live on the bank of River Benue, they are noted for massive rice farming, cassava, potatoes, sonata beans, groundnut and yams.
“The people thus live on a large farmland that spreads to about 15 Kilometres with a large Fadama that spread to River Benue,” Tsebee.
Governor Ortom, who was in Abuja today to meet President Buhari said he has no reason to fake his attack.
In an interview with State House correspondents, the Governor expressed sadness about those who doubted his attack saying he has nothing to benefit from raising false allegation.
Ortom said that he never wish that his worst enemy passes through what he went through.
He said Buhari had accepted some suggestions he made on the security situation in the state.
Meanwhile, Buhari has ordered that thorough investigation should be carried out on the attack which took place on Saturday.
