WHEN WILL OUR SALVATION COME? Episode 5

Character of focus: ZAKI BIAM

Sequel to my article captioned " I WEEP FOR THE TIV NATION" posted in the mvst group on Facebook and also published in mynaijland.com, today I continue to weep for the Tiv nation.



As I go down memory lane, I stop over at Zaki Biam take a look at what happened in Benue history 200, I still weep for the Tiv nation.

In 2001, the bustling town of Zaki_Biam, in a geographical area known as the Sankera axis of Benue State had a sour taste of Nigeria’s military might when a detachment of the Nigerian Army allegedly invaded the town in a reprisal attack for the alleged cold blooded murder of 19 soldiers sent to restore peace in the town following an ethnic violence in the area.

The attack on Zaki Biam could best be described as an ethnic cleansing considering the magnitude of the carnage that trailed the attack and the global outrage that greeted the Army operation.

In that operation, the entire Sankera axis was cordoned off by soldiers with an armada of armoured tanks that were given air cover by helicopter gunboats.
The military juggernaut then proceeded to unleash systematic terror on unarmed civilians, a type that has not been heard of or seen in Nigerian history.

At the end of that military action, no fewer than 300 persons including women, children, young and old were massacred with many of the women violated in that gory expedition. The effect is still fresh in our hearts like the Hiroshima disaster.

Yet, at such time, Tiv had sons who could rise to the defence of the defenceless but showed no concern on the matter. Just to mention but a few, senator Akume was the governor of our state then, Senator Barnabas Gemade was also highly placed in the nation, Victor Malu whose houses were burnt down during the inversion and several other Tiv sons. Yet we were not saved. Today, we have several highly placed Tiv sons yet we suffer marginalization and tribal hate. when will our salvation come?