A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Terkaa Aondo, has demanded action from Nasarawa State for the killing of Tiv indigenes. He warned that continued silence and inaction could worsen insecurity and trigger further attacks in the state.
Aondo spoke against the backdrop of the killing of four Tiv indigenes on January 26 in Keana Local Government.
The victims – Clement Akaa, Yina Fidelis, Thaddeus Tsehemba and Philomina Umbuga – were reportedly attacked while fishing in River Keleke near the Umerai settlement in Kwarra district of Keana council.
According to Aondo, the failure to secure life and property amounts to a breach of that responsibility and raises serious questions about equality, justice and governance in the state.
He called on the government to deploy security forces to flashpoints, investigate the killings, arrest and prosecute those responsible, and ensure the safe return of displaced Tiv families to their communities.
Aondo urged the Federal Government and security agencies to intervene where the state has failed, warning that continued neglect could escalate tensions and undermine peace.
He insisted that justice for the slain Tiv indigenes and protection for vulnerable communities remain the only path to restoring confidence and stability.
Describing the incident as part of a recurring violence, the senior lawyer said the killings were neither isolated nor accidental, but reflective of a broader security failure.
He warned that unless decisive measures are taken, more attacks are imminent in Awe, Doma, Keana, Obi, Lafia and other areas.
Aondo accused armed criminal herdsmen of carrying out these sustained attacks, alleging that ancestral farmlands and villages are forcefully taken over in the affected local government areas.
He lamented that despite repeated reports and public outcries, there has been no meaningful intervention by the state to halt the violence or reclaim occupied communities.
“The Tiv people of Nasarawa are being killed and displaced in their ancestral lands, while the government looks the other way. This has gone on for too long, and the silence is dangerous,” he said.
The senior advocate condemned the apparent indifference of the government to the plight of Tiv communities, noting that the governor had failed to demonstrate political will in addressing insecurity.
He said the governor, as the chief security officer and No. 1 citizen of Nasarawa State, has a constitutional duty to protect all residents.
Source; The Nation News