Tiv Traditional Council Orders Herders to Vacate Benue by May 2025

The Tiv Area Traditional Council has issued a directive ordering all herders to vacate Tiv lands by the end of May 2025. The decision was made in response to escalating attacks on farmers and increasing fears of food insecurity in Benue State and the nation at large.

The resolution was reached during an emergency meeting held at the palace of the Tor Tiv in Gboko. The session was presided over by His Royal Majesty, Orcivirigh Professor James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse, and attended by all graded traditional rulers from across the Tiv Kingdom.

In a communiqué signed by the council’s secretary, Shinyi Tyozua, the traditional leaders voiced deep concern over the continued killings and harassment of farmers by armed herders, particularly in the Local Government Areas of Kwande, Katsina-Ala, Logo, Ukum, Guma, Makurdi, Gwer-West, Gwer-East, and Buruku. The council described the attacks as unprovoked and warned that they have severely disrupted farming activities at a critical time in the agricultural season.

The council emphasized that if the violence persists, it could trigger widespread hunger and further worsen the national food crisis. It called on herders to begin the process of leaving Tiv territories without delay, highlighting the importance of farmer safety and a successful 2025 planting season.

The traditional rulers also urged community leaders and local government authorities to engage herders in peaceful dialogue to ensure a smooth and non-violent relocation. Additionally, the council appealed to the Benue State Government to create conditions that will support the peaceful withdrawal of herders from farmlands in Tiv areas, enabling farmers to return to their work and avert a looming food emergency.