Taraba Youth Group Slams Commissioner Over Remarks on Tiv IDPs

The Taraba State Commissioner for Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, Habu James Philip, is facing sharp criticism from a youth-led advocacy group following his rejection of a petition filed on behalf of Tiv Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Wukari Local Government Area.

The petition, presented by Hon. Peter Achibo, a prominent voice for displaced Tiv communities, has been at the center of growing demands for the resettlement and dignified treatment of over 260,000 Tiv people uprooted by conflict in Southern Taraba.

In a strongly worded statement released Monday, the Ayatutu Cultural and Social Development Initiative (AYACASODI) Worldwide, a Tiv sociocultural group, denounced the commissioner’s comments as "morally bankrupt" and out of touch with the realities on the ground.

“Rather than defend his displaced Tiv kinsmen, the commissioner has chosen to side with those responsible for their suffering,” said Chief Timothy Baaki, National President of AYACASODI.

The group described the commissioner’s remarks as misguided and disappointing, accusing him of actively undermining calls for justice and rehabilitation.

AYACASODI claimed that in nearly two years in office, Philip had failed to visit IDP camps, offer relief materials, or initiate any meaningful plan for resettlement.

“No visits to the camps, no relief packages, no plans, just silence,” the group stated.
“And now, he resurfaces only to undermine a genuine call for justice.”

They challenged the commissioner to publicly present evidence of any concrete steps he has taken to assist the displaced, especially in helping Tiv communities return to their ancestral homes.

The group also raised disturbing accusations, including:

• Coerced returnees allegedly forced to sign “license agreements” to reclaim their land

• Traditional tributes extracted from displaced Tiv farmers

• Desecration of graves, including the exhumation and burning of Tiv elders

• Extortion during funerals by traditional rulers

“If Habu truly believes in dialogue, he must first confront the truth,” the group wrote.
“Dialogue without justice, without truth, and without dignity is empty rhetoric.”

AYACASODI praised Peter Achibo for his courage in confronting what they described as a “structural injustice and ongoing ethnic marginalization” in Southern Taraba.

They called on all Tiv communities in Nigeria and the diaspora to reject silence, complicity, and state-enabled neglect, pledging continued advocacy for justice, healing, and return.