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The President-General of Mzough U Tiv (MUT), the supreme socio-cultural organization of the Tiv nation, has painted a devastating picture of the humanitarian crisis ravaging Benue communities, declaring that a large percentage of Tiv farmers have been permanently chased away from their ancestral farmlands by armed terrorists and can no longer farm.
Speaking in a widely circulated statement on Monday, the MUT leader said the sustained attacks on rural farming settlements across Gwer West, Guma, Makurdi, Logo, Kwande, Katsina-Ala, Ukum, and other local government areas have forced thousands of breadwinners to abandon their homes and crops, leaving them confined to overcrowded Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps with no means of livelihood.
“This systematic displacement of our farmers has triggered widespread hunger and unimaginable hardship,” he stated. “The backbone of Tiv economy is agriculture, but today our people cannot access their farms. The result is that many families now depend on irregular relief materials, and children are going to bed hungry every night.”
The MUT President-General accused the terrorists of deliberately targeting food-producing communities to cripple the state’s economy and create famine, describing the situation as “a silent weapon of starvation being deployed against the Tiv people.”
He called on the federal government, the military, and international humanitarian agencies to urgently treat the Benue crisis as a national emergency, demanding sustained military operations to reclaim occupied farmlands and safe corridors for farmers to return before the next planting season.
As Nigeria battles soaring food prices, the near-total collapse of farming activities in parts of Benue (long regarded as the food basket of the nation) is already being felt across markets in the North-Central and beyond.
Traditional rulers, civil society groups, and youth organizations have echoed the MUT’s cry, warning that without immediate intervention, the 2026 planting season may record even lower yields, pushing millions deeper into poverty and hunger.
