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Tension is mounting in Gboko, the traditional headquarters of the Tiv people in Benue State, after a man identified as Joseph Ngokugh publicly accused indigenes of the Sankera axis — Ukum, Logo, and Katsina-Ala local government areas — of masterminding a wave of violent crimes plaguing the town.
In a widely circulated video, Ngokugh claimed that people from Sankera are responsible for rampant theft, kidnapping, motorcycle snatching, and even killings in Gboko. He went further, issuing a chilling warning to landlords in the town to stop renting houses to anyone from Sankera, saying such tenants could be criminals in disguise.
The statement has sparked immediate outrage and anxiety across the community. Many residents and observers have condemned the blanket accusation as reckless, inflammatory, and capable of fueling ethnic profiling and division within the same Tiv nation.
As of now, there has been no single arrest, police report, or official record presented to substantiate the claims that Sankera indigenes are orchestrating crime in Gboko. Critics argue that painting an entire bloc with the brush of criminality without evidence is not only unfair but dangerous, especially in a region still healing from years of farmer-herder clashes, banditry, and local political violence.
Sankera itself has been one of the hardest-hit areas in Benue State in recent years, with communities there suffering repeated attacks, displacements, and loss of lives. Many of its youths have either been victims of violence or have fled the axis in search of safety and livelihood — some ending up in Gboko.
Residents of Gboko are now calling for calm and urging the authorities to investigate the rising insecurity professionally instead of allowing unverified tribal finger-pointing to tear the people apart. Traditional rulers, youth groups, and civil society organizations in the area are reportedly making efforts to prevent the situation from escalating into open hostility.
While insecurity remains a painful reality in many parts of Benue, the events in Gboko serve as a stark reminder of how quickly fear and rumor can widen cracks in communal harmony — especially when accusations are made without proof.
Authorities have yet to issue an official statement, but pressure is growing for security agencies to address the crime surge transparently and for community leaders to preach unity rather than suspicion.
For now, Gboko holds its breath, hoping that reason will prevail over reckless rhetoric before old wounds are reopened in a new and dangerous way.
