Group gives Akume condition for Tiv people’s forgiveness
NEWS DIGEST–The President-General of Tiv sociocultural group in Benue State, Mdzough U Tiv, Chief Edward Ujege, on Saturday told a former governor of the state, George Akume, to ask Tiv people for forgiveness.
Ujege said when asked by reporters to comment on the call for peace by Akume, Tor Tiv, Prof James Ayatse, and ex-governor Gabriel Suswam, at the burial of Simeon, son of the late Joseph Tarka, at Wannune, Tarka Local Government Area of the state, on Friday.
Akume had incurred the wrath of his kinsmen when he was alleged to have said Tiv, not Fulani herdsmen, were responsible for the killings in the state.
His kinsmen believed he was hobnobbing with people at the federal level to their detriment in his bid to return to the Senate for the fourth time.
Meanwhile, Governor Samuel Ortom welcomed Akume’s call.
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Ujege said, “I heard that Akume called for dialogue. Whichever way, we are all brothers, and we want peace.
“I was made to understand too that Suswam called for peace. No matter who initiated the move, be it Akume, Tor Tiv or the governor, we thank them for their love for Benue people, the most important thing is that we want peace.”
When asked if Tiv people would forgive Akume for his “unpatriotic” comment, Ujege said, “If he is able to talk to his friends (President Buhari and northerners) that what they are doing is not correct. What we want is the anti-open grazing law. But let him make a U-turn first.”
Meanwhile, Ortom on Friday opened the sale and distribution of fertiliser to farmers at a subsidised rate of N4000 per bag to boost farming in the state.
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Benson Abounu, at the event in Markudi, announced that one bag of 50kg of fertiliser would be sold to farmers at N4,000.
