Stakeholders have urged Benue and Taraba State Governments to give political appointments to Tiv or Jukun minorities in their respective states as a deliberate means to end ethnic rivalry among the two tribes.

Both ethnic groups living at the borders of the two states had engaged themselves in bloody clashes in the past two months ago, resulting in the killings of many people and destruction of property.

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Rising from a meeting in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State on Monday with stakeholders drawn from the two ethnic groups, the warring factions agreed to let peace prevail.

The Force Commander of Operation Whirl Stroke, Major-General Adeyemi Yekini sued for peaceful coexistence between the warring Tiv and Jukun people of Taraba and Benue States.

“Stakeholders at the meeting also agreed that from now henceforth, both Benue and Taraba state governments must begin to give political appointments to Tiv or Jukun minorities in the respective states to unite the people the more,” he said. Yekini said the crisis between the two tribes was in two dimensions, as it was between Jukun and Tiv in Benue and then between Jukun and Tiv in Taraba which had resulted in loss of lives and property in both states.


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“At the end of the deliberations, both ethnic groups agreed to embrace peace and agreed on the immediate reopening of the Gbeji-Kente-Wukari road which had remained closed since the beginning of the crisis which started in April 2019. “Also, it was resolved that all illegal roadblocks within the axis should be dismantled, while all Tiv and Jukun residents who had fled their homes during the crises were asked to return home immediately,” the force commander added.