So today, in the heat of the Fulani killings in Buruku, my busy body took me into the deep of Gwer West. We all know the sorry state of the road from Makurdi to Naka (that one is story for another day). The road from Naka to Agagbe and a little beyond is very motor able due to on going constructions. Our expedition finally took us to a destination we could no longer drive. We parked and did the rest of the journey on foot.I must confess I have never seen plain, arable land so vast (Benue is richly blessed), I could see as far as my eyes could take me, save for some few tractors that ploughed the soil and a pocket of young men and women who followed behind in search of 'Gbaver' or 'Akee' - a species of fish that cysts in the dry season . I also have never seen so many herds of cattle like I did today, white colors from far and near with dust from their movement renting the air, moving in different directions one wonders where they are headed. I completely lost count of how many times our vehicle had to park for the herds men to clear the way so we could pass.To get the clear picture, we trekked to the border of Gwer West with Agatu, crossing a stream whose bridge was just a log of wood laid across. While we were contemplating whether to attempt crossing (I come dey wonder who send me), our guide was already at the middle of the log drinking still, murky water from the stream (these guys strong sha). They told us the Agatus have decided to fight a 'cold war' with the fulanis, they've refused to sell food items, water, medicine, cigarettes, drinks and any other thing a Fulani man will need to survive, that in fact trade between the Agatus and fulanis is at absolute zero, leaving the fulanis no choice but to move towards Tyoshin. I also learnt from our guide that there are 3 different layers of Fulani: the big men who own the cattle, the nomadic herds men who move the cattle from one place to another in search of pasture and the militia wing which launch attacks when the need arises.One thing that surprised me however was the level of peaceful cohabitation between the Tivs and the Fulanis. One of the men I talked to told me he left his village settlement to set up a makeshift camp so he could carry out hunting activities together with other hunters. He showed the' Kpiam' (Gazelle in English I guess) they killed yesterday smoking under charcoal. Right there beside these camps were herds of cattle littering the surroundings as can be seen in the video (I begin dey wonder which kain liver these men get). He told me the last time they (Tiv and Fulani) fought, there were lots of deaths, schools were burnt down and their kids could no longer go to school, worst of all; there was hunger and their means to livelihood was cut off since they could no longer farm, leaving them no choice than to live at peace with the fulanis.Now as I'm back to the comfort of 'City life', typing while my feet aches from blisters, I can imagine those hunters in their make shift camps, exposed to the elements (I no see any mosquito net for there self), with unwanted neighbors (Fulanis) who have forced themselves on them. It makes me wonder if in the long run, this forced cohabitation is the panacea to peaceful coexistence or the Tivs there are just sitting on another time bomb waiting to explode.
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