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Tiv, Fulani Clash: Most Marauding Herdsmen Are Not Fulani

A lecturer with the Department of Political Science, Benue State University, Dr Terver Akpar, says most of the people involved in the attack of Tiv … Continue reading Tiv, Fulani Clash: Most Marauding Herdsmen Are Not Fulani


Terver-AkparA lecturer with the Department of Political Science, Benue State University, Dr Terver Akpar, says most of the people involved in the attack of Tiv people in Benue State are not Fulani people as portrayed.

Mr Akpar told Channels Television on Monday that there has been disinformation about the true origin of the persons marauding Tiv dwellers in the name of Fulani herdsmen.

He explained that most of them do not speak English and could only speak French.

“Some of them have been apprehended because they got lost. Have you ever had of a Fulani man getting lost in his terrain? It is very unlikely. Fulani people are more ardent in knowing where they are,” he said

He further explained that the Fulani people that use to take their cattle from one end of the country to another treasure their cow and would not want to be involved in a fight that could lead to the death of their animal.

Dr Akpar, however, alleged that the issue had been shrouded in conspiracy, pointing out that the government had not reacted to the incidents the way it was expected to.Tiv-Fulani Attack

“The attacks on Tiv people started in 2010 and since then, the government has not made any strong commitment to addressing it. This thing has gone beyond the Fulani/Tiv clash. I want to believe that the people are not Nigerians and they are hired for a particular purpose. They are from the Jihadis Triangle, Chard, Niger and Mali,” he said.

The Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, who had been attacked by the supposed herdsmen, told channels Television after his convoy was attacked that the people he saw could not be ordinary herdsmen, describing them as well trained people.

“These are not just people that are pasturing. These are people who are actually terrorists and are determined that they will destabilise not just Benue State but Nigeria as a whole,” Governor Suswam said.

Dr Akpar urged the government to step in and take a decisive action to end the attacks by the marauding ‘terrorist’ disguising as herdsmen.