From Joseph Asegba, Yola
The Chairman of the Benue State Council of Chiefs and traditional rulers has threatened the traditional ruler of Abinsi, a former provincial headquarters in Guma Local Government Area of the state.
Abinsi is one of the oldest towns in Benue State and had a traditional chieftaincy title even before the colonial era, similar to Lokoja and Badagry in Kogi and Lagos states respectively.
However, the town remains an ordinary district under Guma Local Government Area.
The development dates back to allegations by the Jukun of marginalisation in Benue State.
According to a report published by Blueprint Newspaper, solicitors to the National Association of Jukun Wanu (NAJUWA), Falana and Falana’s Chambers, complained to the Chief Judge of Benue State over the non-assignment of a suit involving their clients against the Benue State Government and four others.
In a letter of complaint dated April 18, 2024, the chambers expressed concern that a case filed on February 2, 2024, had yet to be assigned to a judge.
The letter, signed by Samuel Ogala (Esq.) on behalf of the principal partner, informed the Chief Judge that the claimants and other Jukun Wanu indigenes were becoming agitated over the delay in assigning the case.
The solicitors noted that the Chief Judge had continued to assign other cases to various courts for adjudication after February 2, 2024, while NAJUWA’s suit remained unattended to without any explanation.
NAJUWA alleged that the AkuBise, the Jukun traditional ruler of Abinsi, had been summoned by the Ter Guma and pressured to persuade the association to withdraw the case, failing which he would be forced to vacate his traditional stool.
“NAJUWA wants the world to note that the Tiv Traditional Council has been using sinister and unconstitutional means to scuttle the suit,” the association alleged.
It further alleged that the process was being spearheaded by the Tor Tiv through the Ter Guma and Tor Lobi, who allegedly invited some of its members to meetings where Jukun communities were asked to withdraw the lawsuit or, alternatively, write a disclaimer that could be used to discredit the case in court.
NAJUWA had sued the office of the state governor, the Benue State Government, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, the House of Assembly, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, as well as His Royal Majesty, Orchivirigh Professor Ortese James Ayatse, the Tor Tiv and President of the Benue State Council of Chiefs.
The association alleged that the defendants had engaged in decades of discriminatory policies against the Benue Jukun.
It argued that, by virtue of Section 25 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, the Jukun Wanu people are indigenes of Guma, Makurdi and Logo Local Government Areas of Benue State and are therefore citizens of Nigeria entitled to equal protection under Nigerian law, including the Benue State Council of Chiefs and Traditional Council Law, 2016.
NAJUWA stated that its members are Jukun Wanu, also known as Riverine Jukun, whose ancestral origins can be traced to several communities, including Abinsi, Agyogo in Makurdi, Akatungu in North Bank, Agyetashi, Azhoko in Ankwa, Abweni, Anmor in Fiidi, Ando Sede in Bajimba, Anuwha, Atenge and Anyishi.
Other communities listed by the association include Asugu, Gidin Mangoro, Akatsu, Agbodo, Zhamindo, Ashuku, Kitsani, Aguye and Asokpoga, among others.
On that basis, NAJUWA is demanding N1 billion in compensation for what it described as prolonged discrimination against the Benue Jukun.
The association urged the Tiv Traditional Council to follow the path of decency and grant the Jukun their constitutional rights. It maintained that the Jukun would not abandon their rights or withdraw the case, regardless of alleged threats, while insisting that they would continue to pursue justice through peaceful and lawful means.
Meanwhile, Moses Adiku Egwa recalled the 2016 Benue Traditional Councils Law, the role of Zone C, and what he described as the continued exclusion of the Jukun from traditional leadership structures in Benue State.
He also referred to documented events at the Benue State House of Assembly, including the backlash that followed the association’s previous statement and the involvement of prominent political and traditional actors in the matter.