Tiv people in the United Kingdom (UK) under the auspices of Mzough U Tiv UK (MUTUK) on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest in the UK against the killings by suspected armed Fulani herdsmen in Benue and other parts of Nigeria.
The protest, which was led by MUTUK’s vice president, Dr Kohol Shadrach Iornem, and which started at the Nigerian High commission ended at the No. 10 Downing Street, and was attended by a cross sections of Nigerians of other ethnic stock, who came out in solidarity with the Tivs.
According to a statement forwarded to Daily Trust by the publicity secretary of the MUTUK, Ms Salome Sulleyol Biam, the leader of the group, Dr Iornem, said the protest was to express their sadness over the problems Nigeria was currently facing in the hands of the herdsmen who have continued to massacre helpless Nigerians.
At No 10 Downing Street, the group also delivered a 9-point petition to the British Prime Minister Theresa Mary May, urging the British government to consider intervening in the systematic ethnic cleansing as the security forces appear to have been compromised.
They call for evoking the necessary international mechanisms to establish the veracity of the substance of the petition, highlight the problems and humanitarian needs of the displaced populations, particularly women, children and the aged and support for voluntary organisations. They also seek assistance through self-help and requesting the Federal Government to urgently take the necessary steps to identify and disarm the herders and their accomplices and provide protection for the victims in the interest of national security.
