Feature picture: Governor
By Aboh Agbochenu
THE recent crisis between Ukpute Community of Igede in Oju local government area and their Tiv neighbours of Obonte Community in Konshisha local government area, both in Benue State, may not be unconnected with a parcel of land, investigations by National Record have revealed. The communal clash reportedly left in its wake about half a dozen people killed, several injured and properties destroyed. Tension is still said to be rife as security operatives are keeping vigil since the crisis started in the last week of June.
The disputed parcel of land, which was reportedly being prepared for cultivation under the World Bank Fadama project before the crisis erupted in late June, is said to originally belong to Ukpute Community of Oju local government area.
Investigations by the National Record revealed that the land dispute between the two neighbouring communities of Ukpute and Obonte has lingered for decades having started during the reigns of the late Och’Idoma, Agabaidu, His Royal Highness Abraham Ajene Okpabi, and the late Tor Tiv, His Royal Highness James Akperan Orshi.
The late Tor Tiv Orshi reportedly told his Tiv subjects then to leave the Igede people alone as they were the original owners of the land with the boundary at Obonte area.
One Mr Petera-Davies Ogbenya Agama, a native of Ukpute, in an interview with the our correspondent, revealed that the recent crisis started when the boundary people of Ukpute-Ainu cleared their Fadama land preparatory for this year’s farming that the Obonte people pounced on the cleared farm land and started cultivating it.
Mr. Agama, who said he was an eye-witness, further stated that this incident was reported to Obonte elders, who failed to intervene and forestall crisis. When the owner of the said plot of farm land went to the farm, he was murdered allegedly by the people that had encroached on his land.
According to Agama, the blame for the lingering crisis rests on a former chairman of Oju local government council, Hon. Ukpute, who incidentally is from Ukpute Community. When Hon Ukpute assumed the chairmanship of Oju, Agama said, he was advised by community leaders to liaise with the appropriate authorities in the state to administer proper demarcation of the boundary, a counsel he unfortunately ignored.
Agama’s account of the genesis of the dispute was corroborated by testimonies of two other persons, Mr. Edward Ijwo and Mr James Ogenyi, who both stated that every Tiv man from Obonte knows that the land belongs to the people of Ukpute-Ainu.
Mr. Ijwo called on the Benue State government to take a decisive step to halt the continuous bloodbath in the area stressing that the souls of the traditional fathers of the land will not rest until peace returned to the area.
While efforts to get people familiar with the crisis from the Obonte side of the conflict to speak failed, National Record was able to speak to the newly elected Chairman of Konshisha Local Government Council, Hon. James Jirgba, through phone last Tuesday.
Hon. Jirgba described the conflict between the people of Konshisha and Oju LGA as a communal clash fomented out of “outright mischief.” He accused the media of biased reporting, as according to him, the publicity was one-sided at the expense of his people.
According to Hon. Jirgba, since assumption of office, he and his counterpart in Oju along with the Benue state Deputy Governor, Engr. Benson Abounu, have had several meetings concerning the clashes to ascertain the authenticity of the claims from both sides of the conflict.
Hon. Jirgba expressed misgivings on the mode of publicity, stressing that while assaults from Igede side was not reported, those launched by his folks received sensational publicity with the media awash “with all kinds of misinformation and misrepresentation.” He described the reports “as outright mischief.”
He disclosed that as at Tuesday, 14th July, 2020, there was an attack early in the hours of the day which led to some arrests by the police. “Right now as I am talking to you, some arrested persons are in the police detention at Tse-Agberagba, the headquarters of Konshisha local government.
Jirgba, while commending the efforts of the security operatives, disclosed further that from the security reports, there are plans for reprisal attacks from the Tiv community that was attacked last Tuesday.
According to Hon. Jirgba, the National Boundary Commission is currently working on the proper demarcation of the area to forestall further escalation of violence between the neighbouring communities in Konshisha and Oju local government areas. “We will not rest on our oars until the needed peace is restored to the affected areas,” Hon. Jirgba said.
