Fresh tears flowed in southern Taraba this morning as graphic images emerged showing the lifeless bodies of innocent Tiv civilians brutally murdered while they slept in Rafin-Kada ward of Wukari Local Government Area.
According to eyewitness accounts and a widely circulated post by activist Ukan Kurugh, suspected Jukun militias stormed the community in the early hours of Tuesday, December 10, dragging sleeping victims from their homes before executing them in cold blood.
“These are the innocent Tiv people keeled this morning at Rafin-Kada ward by Jukun militias without any provocation,” Kurugh wrote. “They were in their sleep when the keellers invaded and keelled them. I can’t post the rest pictures here thou.”
The photographs, too gruesome for many platforms, show at least two victims, one a young boy in orange shorts, lying face-down in the dirt beside household items scattered in panic. Another body is partially covered with a green wrapper, a futile attempt at dignity after the massacre.
No official statement has been released by the Taraba State Police Command or the state government as at the time of filing this report, but the attack fits a painful pattern of recurring communal violence between Jukun and Tiv communities in the Wukari-Karim Lamido axis, clashes that have claimed hundreds of lives and displaced thousands over the years.
Community leaders on the Tiv side have described the killings as “unprovoked genocide,” insisting the victims were farmers who had no involvement in any recent dispute. Calls for immediate military and police intervention are growing louder by the hour.
As anger spreads rapidly across social media, with the hashtag #StopTheTivKilling trending in Benue and Taraba circles, there are genuine fears that the attack could trigger retaliatory violence and plunge the volatile region into another circle of bloodshed.
For now, Rafin-Kada and surrounding Tiv settlements are in mourning. Families are searching for missing loved ones, and survivors are fleeing into the bush for safety.
This is a developing story. We will bring you verified updates as soon as authorities respond and more details emerge from the ground.
