‘Reports of Tiv youths attack on Hausa community false, inciting’

Several reports in a particular newspaper claiming that Tiv youths attacked the Hausa community in Makurdi and killed many people and destroyed property is not only false but a concerted attempt by the media house to incite violence. The said newspaper first published a story entitled “Benue: Many Killed in Hausa Community” on 27th April, […]

Several reports in a particular newspaper claiming that Tiv youths attacked the Hausa community in Makurdi and killed many people and destroyed property is not only false but a concerted attempt by the media house to incite violence.

The said newspaper first published a story entitled “Benue: Many Killed in Hausa Community” on 27th April, 2018.

The report gave a figure of 11 deaths and the destruction of two mosques and other property of members of the community.

The police authorities and the Deputy Governor of Benue State promptly denied the above stated report which the writer claimed was based on an interview with the Sarkin Hausawa in Makurdi, Alhaji Bello Sallau Abdurrahman.

 The police described the newspaper report as false, and urged members of the public to isregard the information as it was not aware of any casualty figures in that community besides the fact that no mosques were set ablaze in Makurdi metropolis or any part of the state.

Unfortunately, the same newspaper which is obviously bent on inciting violent clashes in Benue State rehashed the same contents of the earlier report that was rebutted in its edition of 7th May, 2018.

This time it gave a different figure of the dead in the same purported attack and attached an unsubstantiated picture of what looked like dead bodies at a cemetery that could have been taken in any other part of the world.

More worrisome is the fact that in the published picture, which is clear enough for recognition of those around the purported dead bodies, no known faces could be spotted which casts more doubt about where it was taken.

But the objective of the picture which had no link with Governor Ortom’s visit to the Hausa community is clearly to incite sectarian violence. 

The fact that the report has been written by a reporter who is not on ground in the state, other than the state correspondent of the  newspaper who lives in Makurdi as well as the inclusion of a dubious picture further underscores the intention of the media house to incite violence in Benue State.

The Tiv Youths Organization therefore condemns these false, mischievous, and inciting reports and urges the public to disregard them and consider its authors as promoters of hate speech, violence and crisis.

James Ornguga, Public Relations Officer, Tiv Youths Organization.

 8th May, 2018.

 

We stand by our story

We stand by our report on the killings in the Hausa community in Benue State based on our reporter’s visit to the affected area and comments by community leaders.

Editor