President General Tiv Integrated Vision (TIV) Gbaden Atsu
By Our Correspondent In Makurdi
The Tiv Integrated Vision(TIV), has unequivocally rejected the misleading, mischievous, and baseless claims made by the Alago Ikweyi Gbayi Development Union (AIGDU) that Yelwata was an Alago village in Nasarawa and not Benue.
The President General, Mr Gbaden Atsu of the union made their feelings known in a press statement which he issued on Monday in Makurdi.
Atsu sad that the AIGDU made the spurious claims in a press release dated June 18, 2025, where they asserted that Yelwata was an Alago village in Nasarawa State, adding that the Tiv people were settlers in
Yelwata and also without ancestral ties to Keana, Obi, and Awe local governments.
He described the claims as not
only historically inaccurate but also inflammatory, risking further ethnic tensions in the Benue-Nasarawa corridor.
He said that TIV used historical archives, colonial records, and the Tiv’s well-documented heritage to affirm their indigeneity to counter AIGDU’s distortions, explaining that the historical evidence affirming Tiv indigeneity and presence in the Benue Valley, including Yelwata, Keana, Obi, and Awe, was deeply rooted in historical and archival records, predating the claims of the
AIGDU.
"Below are key pieces of evidence:
1931 Colonial Census of Nigeria: 1931, Vol. II, Northern Provinces, pp. 45–47). The 1931 Nigerian census, conducted by the British colonial administration, clearly identifies the Tiv as most significant population in the Benue Valley, including areas now part of Nasarawa State.
"The census records the Tiv in the Munchi (Mushi/Tiv) Province, which included Yelwata, with no mention of Alago or Gwandara communities in the same region. This omission suggests that the Alago were not present in the region during the census, challenging the AIGDU's claim of Alago ownership of the area.
"During the colonial era, the region including Yelwata was designated as Munchi Province, a term used by colonial authorities to refer to the Tiv, though the Tiv rejected it, asserting their identity as Tiv. The naming of the province after the Tiv reflects their demographic and cultural dominance in the area and indigeneity.
"If the Alago were the original inhabitants, as AIGDU claims, why was the province not named after them?
"This is obtained from Nigeria Gazetteer, Federal Survey Department, 1970). AIGDU’s claim that Keana was established in 1232 AD and stretched to the North Bank of Makurdi is a complete fabrication. Simply why are they (Alago) not present in the area, or did the Tiv take over the land by conquest, if so when?
"The Kwararafa Kingdom, which AIGDU references even did not exist in the first instance, since there is no historical evidence supporting its existence or Alago as the original owners of the region during the claimed period," Atsu said.
He said that Tiv historical accounts, validated by the Tiv Traditional Council (TTC), confirmed their interactions with groups like the Jukun and Mighili, that came into the area much later.
He said that the TTC was the authentic custodian of Tiv tradition and heritage, led by His Royal Majesty, Prof. James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse, was the authoritative body for a final say on Tiv history, and any claim not sanctioned by it, such as AIGDU’s cited Terngu S.N, IJAPR, 2020 were invalid.
He cited Crowder, M., The Story of Nigeria, 1962, pp. 85-90), Ancestral Land Claims, to buttress that the Tiv’s ancestral ties to Keana, Obi, and Awe were indisputable.
He said that as predominantly occupational farmers, the Tiv had cultivated vast farmlands in those areas for centuries, a fact documented in colonial agricultural reports and their integration into Nasarawa State’s political framework, including holding elective and appointive positions; even though in what has not been a fair deal, reflects their indigenous status.
He stated that AIGDU’s denial of the ties was a calculated attempt to disenfranchise the Tiv and rewrite history against what was contained in the Northern Nigeria Agricultural Reports, 1920–1930, obtained from the National Archives, Kaduna State.
He reiterated that AIGDU’s provocative narrative was not only historically inaccurate but also dangerous, as it risked escalating ethnic tensions in an already volatile region and, it clearly undermined the harmonious co-existence between Tiv and Alago communities.
He said that the condolence visit by President Bola Tinubu, the Nasarawa State Governor, and other key functionaries from Nasarawa State to the Benue Governor following the tragic killing of over 200 Tiv in Yelwata further affirm its status as part of Benue.
He called on security agencies to investigate AIGDU’s provocative statements and hold them accountable for the continuous hostilities against Tiv communities in Nasarawa State, adding that the Abuja branch of AIGDU should be monitored as a potential source of ethnic incitement.
He disclosed that Tiv people remained committed to peaceful co-existence with the Alago and other communities to promote unity and development, emphasising that the harmonious relationship between Tiv and Alago, evidenced by shared political participation, must be preserved.
