By David Okpashi
Concerned with the incessant attacks and killings of their natives by warring Bassa and Egbura militias of Toto LGA of Nasarawa state, the Gbagyi Cultural group, Renaissance Foundation, (GCRF), has called on the Nasarawa state governor, Abdullahi Sule to urgently step up measures to address the conflict situation in Toto to avert escalation of crisis in the area.
The association have also warned Bassa and Egbura community not to misconstrued their patience for weakness as they will no longer accept further attacks on her people from any quarter.
The Cultural association in a statement signed by its secretary General .Mr Emmanuel Musa, immediately after its national delegates peace conference in Toto and made available to Journalists on Sunday, said for the fact that they had all advocated for peaceful coexistence, any further attack would not be condone.
The cultural association which called on governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa state to step up action to tame the ugly situation before it eescalates, added that they have toed the part of peace over the time.
“Our patience should not be misconstrued for weakness. Since peace which we have advocated for a long time is not accepted by the Bassas and Egbura we have no option left than to resist further killing of our people”, the statement declared.
“The psychology and world view of our people in Toto LGA have been traumatized due to incessant attacks and mischievous intimidation thereby negatively impacting our social, political and economic proficiency. Despite this visible threat to our existence in Toto LGA, Gbagyi people have tenaciously safeguarded their cherished virtue of peace – loving ethnic group by not resorting to reprisal since inception even in the face of worst provocations.
Delegates who attended the conference further said they converged in Toto in their large numbers to mull the peaceful process of sustaining unity, development and cooperation of the Gbagyi nation who they said have no enemy anywhere.
The statement which further warned of severe consequences should iits people suffer further attacks on their communities stated that its members cut across four states: Nasarawa, Kogi, Kaduna, Niger and the FCT.
The statement statement reads in parts:
“This is because Gbagyi people are generally known to be hospitable, peace-loving and for upholding the dignity and sanctify of human life. We have over the years condemned extrajudicial killings and have never at any material time condoned same in Toto LGA or any other place in Nigeria but, despite our peaceful disposition, we have not been spared,
“The agony of burying our beloved ones courtesy of our aggressive neighbours whose only familiar language is violence. It is in view of this that the Gbagyi Cultural Renaissance Foundation (GCRF), a socio-cultural group of the Gbagyi people whose sole commitment is to ensure peaceful and harmonious co-existence amongst all the ethnic nationalities in Toto LGA and beyond, have keenly and carefully appraised the protracted ethno-political crisis between Egbura and Bassa and come out with the following:
“That Gbagyi people have unjustifiably recorded more casualties than even the conflicting parties since 1997 till date rising to the tune of 115 lives not to talk of properties worth hundreds of millions destroyed.
“Gbagyi have lost several ancestral communities to extinction. These includes Panda, Oba, Gabi, Gbebye, Wnubho, Kpedobuyi, Pmaliyi, Gbagba, Kpakutu and Uttu. Others have been reduced to insignificance, they include Sogene, Kanyehu, Hogumba-Ugya, Ayewawa, Degye, Chakarku, Kokoto, Awozhi, Kolo, Kuwa, Kovo, Turunku, Zokutu, Yewuye, the list goes on due to the mass exodus of our people in 1997/98 and 2003”.
According to the statement, there are questions in some quarters to whether or not the remnants of Gbagyi people in some villages are indigenous tribe in Toto LGA, hence, a pseudo-enslavement policy aimed at our people is being enacted in some communities where (Gbagyi) are denied rightful ownership of their ancestral farmlands.