Tribal violence in Cross River leaves five dead

At least five Tiv people have been beheaded in Cross River State, Nigeria, in renewed violence between the Tiv and Yache communities.

The killings occurred on Sunday, 8 October 2023, when Yache boys attacked the Tivs while harvesting cassava on their farms.

The Tivs have claimed they have settled in the community for over 100 years and are more of Cross River than Benue State indigenes.

The Yache community, however, says that the Tivs have invaded their land and attacked their people.

The resurgence of killings and setting ablaze of houses on both sides has been as a result of the alleged refusal by the Tiv settlers to pay royalties.

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Both community leaders have expressed unhappiness that the number of security men, including soldiers sent to keep the peace between them, is very few and that the operatives are mainly in the town, leaving the hinterlands very porous for the killings to persist.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Irene Ugbo, said the police had yet to receive a formal report about the latest killings.

The two deputy governors of both states, Peter Odey (Cross River) and Sam Ode (Benue), recently visited the community and appealed for cessation of hostilities while they worked towards peace.