The Kuteb ethnic group in Taraba state has accused Gen Theophilus Danjuma (rtd) of deliberately distorting and inventing a new history of the Takum chiefdom to benefit his tribal people, the Chamba.
Mr. Emmanuel Ukwen, President General of Kuteb Yantso of Nigeria (KYN), stated this on Saturday while briefing journalists in Jalingo.
Ukwen, reacting to Gen. Danjuma’s speech at the coronation ceremony of the newly appointed first-class chief of Takum, HRM Sopiya Gboshi, also accused the former Chief of Army Staff of playing ethnic and religious cards in Takum, an act he described as an invitation to religious and ethnic genocide.
The Nigerian Tribune reports that Gen. Danjuma, during the coronation ceremony in Takum last week, described one of the Ukwe Takum chiefs as a very bad and terrible chief and referred to the Kuteb people as people of the hills, who do not have the sole right to the Takum first-class stool.
Meanwhile, the Kuteb, while reacting to the speech, also alleged that TY Danjuma and his associates have perfected plans to demolish the Takum Central Mosque, as well as the palace of Ukwe Takum, which is located behind the mosque.
“It is a pity that TY Danjuma referred to one of the Ukwe Takum chiefs as a very bad and terrible chief on the flimsy grounds that he was a Kuteb man and a Muslim.
“There is a sinister move by Danjuma and his cohorts to demolish the Takum Central Mosque and the Ukwe Takum Palace, which is behind the mosque, under the guise of urban development.
We want the whole world to know that the graves of our late Ukwes who reigned and died are in the palace. Any attempt to desecrate the tombs of our fathers will amount to cultural and religious genocide.
“We are surprise that TY Danjuma has been preaching peace in the public while he is instigated crisis in his hometown. We want to let the whole world know that Danjuma is a religious and tribal bigot that Nigerians need to careful of.
“The Kuteb through Ukwe Takum ruled Takum from 1510 to 1996 uninterrupted by any other tribe, how comes Danjuma is forging history that the Kutebs are people from the hills? The group questioned.
