In response to the looming food security crisis in Nigeria and Benue State, the Tiv Area Traditional Council has issued an ultimatum to herders operating in Tivland to vacate all Tiv territories by the end of May 2025.
The directive was announced following an emergency meeting held at the Tor Tiv Palace in Gboko, Benue State. The meeting was chaired by the Tor Tiv, His Royal Majesty, Orcivirigh Professor James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse, and attended by all graded traditional rulers of the Tiv Kingdom.
The Council cited the persistent attacks and killings of farmers by herders as the primary cause of halted agricultural activities across several local government areas, including Kwande, Katsina-Ala, Logo, Ukum, Guma, Makurdi, Gwer-West, Gwer-East, and Buruku.
Expressing deep concern, the Council warned that the continued disruption of farming could trigger widespread hunger in the region and worsen the national food crisis.
In a communiqué signed by the Council Secretary, Shinyi Tyozua, the Council appealed to all herders to vacate Tivland to enable farmers return to their fields and resume cultivation.
