Nasarawa socio-cultural group, Alago Ikweyi Gbayi Development Union, in Nasarawa State, has urged President Bola Tinubu to direct the National Boundary Commission to, carry out thorough physical assessment of the boundaries between Nasarawa and Benue States with a view to ensuring their proper demarcation.

The group said the demarcation would help to tackle the persistent gunmen attacks that had continued unabated, and claimed several lives of innocent citizens, including children and pregnant women.

In a statement jointly signed by the President of AIGDU, Mohammed Oshafu and the Publicity Secretary of the association, Hassan Ozegya, and released in Lafia, the state capital, the group said it made the appeal on the heels of the statement made by the Tor Tiv, Professor James Ayatse, during President Tinubu’s recent visit to Benue State over the attacks on Yelwata.

Yelwata is a community situated around Nasarawa and Benue states borders.

Professor James Ayatse had during President Tinubu’s visit claimed that his people who are indigenes of Nasarawa State are being oppressed, and their lands taken away from them, adding that they are being called non-indigenes of the state. Yelwata is a community situated around Nasarawa and Benue states borders.

The AIGDU’s President noted that the claim by the Tor Tiv that Tiv people were being oppressed in Nasarawa State, and their lands forcibly is not true. They claimed Keana, Obi, and Awe local government areas where all the residents have been living peacefully and harmoniously.

He further claimed that Yelwata is historically an Alago village which comprises Alago and Gwandara tribes, adding that the Tiv tribe later joined them in the community.

 “The area is part and parcel of Keana local government area of Nasarawa State. Apart from colonial and other modern-day records, recently Google maps also confirmed that Yelwata is in Nasarawa State as originally demarcated.

“While this claim is not controversial, our position is not in support of the crisis and killings in our land that had peacefully welcomed all Nigerians and foreigners alike to settle peacefully and live together in harmony with our people,” he said.

The association further distanced itself from the claims and counter claims on the remote and immediate causes of the recent attacks on Yelwata, adding that all the skirmishes that are linked to the unfortunate incident which claimed several lives of innocent people are unknown to them.

According to AIGDU, the Tiv people do not have ancestral lands in the Keana, Obi, and Awe local government areas of Nasarawa State, stating that the Alago founders of the LGAs are the ancestors and owners of the lands.

However, the association while commiserating with the families of the deceased, associates and other Nigerians that were involved in the sad incident, commended President Bola Tinubu for his timely intervention and his condolence visit to access the devastating nature of the attacks, and also the level of damage on the affected communities.