A youth advocacy organization, the Ayatutu Cultural and Social Development Initiative, AYACASODI Worldwide, has strongly criticized the Taraba State Commissioner for Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, Habu James Philip, for dismissing a petition submitted by Hon. Peter Achibo, the leader of the Tiv Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Wukari Local Government Area.
In a statement released on Monday and signed by its National President, Chief Timothy Baaki, AYACASODI condemned the commissioner’s comments as “morally bankrupt,” accusing him of turning his back on his own people during a time of urgent need.
“It is with deep disappointment but not surprise that we read the unfortunate and misguided statement by Habu James Philip,” the group said. “Rather than defend his displaced Tiv kinsmen, the commissioner has chosen to side with those responsible for their suffering.”
AYACASODI expressed full solidarity with Achibo and the Tiv IDPs, praising his courage in speaking up against what they described as systemic injustice and ongoing oppression in Wukari and Southern Taraba.
The group accused the commissioner of inaction since assuming office, saying, “In nearly two years, he has not initiated any meaningful effort to support or resettle the Tiv people. No visits to the camps, no relief packages, no plans, just silence. And now, he resurfaces only to undermine a genuine call for justice.”
AYACASODI challenged the commissioner to present concrete evidence of any steps taken to return over 260,000 displaced Tiv people to their ancestral homes or to address allegations that returnees were being forced to sign “license agreements” and pay tributes in farm produce to local traditional rulers.
The group also accused the commissioner of ignoring serious incidents, including the alleged exhumation and burning of Tiv elders’ remains and extortion by traditional authorities during burials.
“If Habu truly believes in dialogue, he must first confront the truth,” the statement read. “Dialogue without justice, without truth, and without dignity is empty rhetoric.”
AYACASODI called on all Tiv communities across Nigeria and the diaspora to reject what they termed a “dangerous narrative of silence and complicity” and to remain steadfast in the fight for justice and restoration.
It was observed that the statement comes amid renewed tensions and calls for the resettlement of displaced Tiv communities in Taraba, with many accusing the state government of neglect and ethnic bias.
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