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ETHNIC NATIONALISM AND INTER TRIBAL CONFLICT (A STUDY OF TIV-JUKUN CONFLICTS IN SOUTHERN TARABA)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The cyclical Tiv-Jukun ethnic conflicts in Southern part of Taraba State have devastated the economic, social and political wellbeing of that part of Nigeria over the years. The notoriety and impact of this conflicts is damning when compared with other inter-tribal crisis in Nigeria like the Hausa-Yoruba crisis in Shagamu 1999, the Ife-Modakeke of 2000, the Billiri –Katungo in Gombe state, the Numan –Demsa in Adamawa state, the ijaw-Itsekiri, the Mangu- Bolkos in Plateau State to mention just a few.

Taraba state with over eighty ethnic groups and more dialectical divisions is the epi center of inter-tribal wrangling in Nigeria and the Tiv-Jukun conflict takes the lead as the most gruesome, next only to the Biafran civil war of 1967 to 1970 and elsewhere in Africa the Hutu-Tutsi ethnic cleansing in Rwanda 1994. Despite the incessant Tiv-Jukun conflicts in Southern Taraba, a plethora of other minor inter-tribal skirmishes in the area including; Jukun-Hausa crisis in Wukari town 2013, the Jukun-Kuteb in Takum Local Government Area 1996, the Chamba-Kuteb, Tiv-kuteb to mention just a few. The Central and Northern parts of the state are not also immune to inter-tribal conflicts and some of the commonest variants include the Mumuye-Fulani, the Mambilla-Fulani, and the Kona- Fulani etc. 

The Tiv and the Jukun both arrived the Benue valley at different times and have lived in peace up until the period leading to independence. Akombo (2005) noted that Tiv-Jukun contact and interaction between 1850 and 1950 was for the most part peaceful. This support oral tradition of military alliance between these two pagan tribes to resist Islamic incursion into the Benue valley during the Jihad of Usman Danfodio 1804.

The years; between1900 to 1950 recorded no incidence of crisis between them as the Tivs were grappling with the incursion of Britain in their domain having accessed the land in 1902. While the Jukuns had it easier due to the established traditional leadership of the Aku Uka headquartered in Wukari.  While the Colonial masters found it easy to administer the jukunoid tribes in the Benue valley through the Aku Uka traditional institution, the republican nature of the Tiv society in the same Benue valley made administration of the people very difficult. This coupled with their violent resistance of the British at their time of entry into Nigeria, yet the Tiv settlements sandwiched Wukari, Donga, Ibbi, Akwana and other Jukun towns and spread down to Ogoja hills in the east and fringes of Lafia in the West. It was this development that made the British authorities to bring the Tiv population around Wukari area which was later known as Wukari federation under the traditional leadership of the

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