The Return of Bassas to Toto LGA: Who Bears the Brunt, Burden
…Has the causes of the crisis been settled?. If yes, how?
By IDRIS BATURE AHMED, TOTO.
Following displacement of persons occasioned by the unfortunate crisis over ethno– cultural and historical disputes between the Egbiras and the Bassas in Toto Local Government area of Nasarawa State, Governor Abdullahi Sule is set to return the Bassas to the area.
The Governor’s bold step is geared towards promoting peace and tolerance among the entire residents of Toto Local Government area, irrespective of their ethnic, religious, cultural, and historical backgrounds.
It is in this regard that the Executive Chairman of Toto Local Government Council, Pharm Yahaya Baba Ahmed , addressed stakeholders of the area on Thursday, appealing to the people to embrace peace and tolerance for the overall development of the area.
The meeting held at the Toto Local Government council’s secretariat had traditional rulers, the two members of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly from the area and other relevant Stakeholders in attendance.
According to reliable source, the meeting was already scheduled to take place ahead of the State Government’s plan to enable all the displaced persons from the area including the Bassa, Egbiras , Nupe, Gbagis, Hausas, Igbos and others who fled the area due to the crisis to return home.
The Chairman who stressed that there will be no meaningful development in any society without peace, urged the people of the area to embrace peace as the best principle of life.
While the Nasarawa State Government is working assidiously to ensure the return of the displaced Bassas, the fate of others remains undecided.
Though no tangible date has been fixed for the return of the Bassas, it appears no concrete arrangement has been made for their home coming.
Has the causes of the crisis been settled?. If yes, how?.
Who now bears the brunt and the burden?.
One of the reasons the Bassas gave for taking up arms against the Egbiras was non recognition of a Bassa person for a Chieftaincy stool.
The Government of Alhaji Umar Tanko Al-makura graciously appointed Dr David Tukura, as the Aguma of Turunku Chiefdom. The Chiefdom for now has no defined territory, no boundaries with other ones before it’s creation.
For a true and sincere peace to reign in Toto LGA, Turunku Chiefdom should have entity, devoid of overlapping in to other existing ones before its creation.
The Aguma should have his village heads in his domain who should be within the spheres of the Turunku Chiefdom, to avoid administrative clashes with other existing Chiefdoms.
The Bassas that may be coming home should be properly profiled, to identify the true Toto LGA indigenes among them, because many of them are from other States and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Even now some that are claiming indigeneship are fake, who crossed over from neighboring states. Today they are the Bassa leaders, having fraudulently contested and won Plateau State House of Assembly election for Umaisha constituency in 1983.
Already many of the Bassas claiming Toto LGA are employees with the Federal and State governments where they are known and recognized as indigenes.
A major thing that will jeopardize the peace process during the Bassa home coming is the fake and false claims of village houses farmlands as many of them don’t even know where their original places of domicile.
It is worthy of note that several Egbira towns and villages have been reduced to war relics following the sustained Bassa uprisings, leaving behind lost of several lives of innocent citizens as well as properties worth billions of naira
Prominent Egbira businessmen and women were gruesomely murdered in Uttu, Kanyehu, Kolo, Kuwa, Bakete, Ugya, Kokoto to mention, but a few, aside kidnapping and murder of politicians in the area.
Some of these Egbira towns and villages have not been resuscitated and citizens rendered homeless, yet nobody is sympathizing with them or even compensate them. What the Egbiras as victims got was arrests and harassment by government of the day.
The fear now is that the government may decide to force Egbiras into submission to satisfy the Bassas for reasons best known to them.
The government should also compensate the Egbiras or rehabilitate the villages destroyed by the Bassa militias.
For the sake of sustenance of peace in the area, all agreements entered in to should signed and counter signed by all the parties affected including Government.
