Benue Tori

‎BIOGRAPHY OF LATE, LT. COL. JOSEPH AKAAHAN AGBO. OFR,FSS
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‎Lt. Colonel Joseph Akaahan Agbo, widely recorded as Col. Joseph Akahan, was Nigeria's 2nd Chief of Army Staff and one of the most prominent Tiv officers in the early Nigerian Army.
1. ‎Birth and Family
‎• Born 12 April 1937 to the Akaahan Agbo Kpile Family of Vandeikya Local Government Area, Benue State. Wikipedia records birthplace as Gboko LGA, British Nigeria, while contemporary petitions list Vandeikya LGA as his ancestral home.
‎• His full birth name is given as Joseph Akaahan Agbo.
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‎2. Education
‎• Government College, Keffi in today's Nasarawa State, 1952-1956, where he obtained the Cambridge School Certificate. • Military officer training:
‎◦ Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF) Training School, Teshi, Ghana (1957-1958)
‎◦ Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, United Kingdom (1958-1960)
‎• Commissioned into the Nigerian Army as an officer on 23 July 1960.
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‎3. Military Career
‎Early Service and Congo:
‎He served with the Nigerian Contingent during the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations in Congo in the early 1960s, where he was noted for excellent performance.
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‎4th Battalion and 1966 Crises:
‎In January 1966, after the first military coup that brought Maj. Gen. Aguiyi-Ironsi to power, the mainly northern Ibadan-based 4th Battalion lost its commanding officer. An Igbo replacement, Major Nzefili, was rejected by northern officers, and Aguiyi-Ironsi was forced to replace him with Major Joe Akahan, a northern Tiv officer.
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‎Akahan became one of the leaders of the Nigerian counter-coup of July 1966, in which Aguiyi-Ironsi was killed and Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon emerged as Head of State. During that counter-coup, there was a mass killing of Igbo officers at 4th Battalion in Ibadan under Akahan's command.
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‎Chief of Army Staff:
‎Owing to his diligence, he was appointed Chief of Army Staff in May 1967, shortly before the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War. He was Nigeria's second COAS, after then Col. Yakubu Gowon.
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‎Official records list his tenure as August 1966 - May 1968 as Chief of Army Staff.
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‎He is credited as the brain behind the concept of the sea-borne operations led by Lt. Col. Benjamin Adekunle that captured Bonny in July 1967, a critical early federal victory in the civil war.
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‎**Death and Controversy
‎Akahan died in a military helicopter crash while serving as Army Chief.
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‎According to the 2025 petition to President Bola Tinubu by Prof. Sabastine Hon, SAN, Akahan flew from the war zone to Gboko, Benue State, for a brief visit home before proceeding to Lagos. In less than 20 kilometers after takeoff to Lagos on the evening of August 6, 1967, the helicopter crashed and he died instantly at age 30. The Federal Government officially announced his death, as reported by the New York Times of August 7, 1967.
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‎Wikipedia and Army histories record his death as May 1968 during the Civil War. The discrepancy is part of the controversy.
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‎The Army High Command considered the trip to Gboko an 'unauthorized' trip. He was consequently posthumously arraigned and summarily dismissed from the Nigerian Army.
1. ‎Legacy and Posthumous Pardon Effort
‎Despite the dismissal, the Nigerian Army continued to honour him:
‎• Joe Akahan Barracks (now Joe Akaahan Military Cantonment), Makurdi, capital of Benue State and an early base of operations during the civil war, is named after him.
‎• In 2024, the then Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja visited the cantonment and unveiled a Military Hospital there.
‎In October 2025, lawyer Sabastine Hon, SAN, wrote to President Tinubu seeking a full posthumous pardon under Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution, arguing that his offence of dereliction of duty was minor compared to others granted pardon in the list of 175 living and deceased Nigerians pardoned in October 2025. He noted that the dismissal has never been reversed.
‎Summary Profile
‎• Rank at death: Colonel (Lt. Col. substantive, Colonel by 1967)
‎• Service: Nigerian Army, N/98, OFR FSS
‎• Wars: Congo Crisis, Nigerian Civil War
‎• Successor: General Hassan Katsina
‎• Age at death: 30-31
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‎He died at 30, but his name still guards Makurdi. A soldier, a Tiv son, a Chief of Army Staff who gave everything for Nigeria. History dismissed him, but Benue never forgot him. Rest on, Col. Joseph Akaahan Agbo.

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‎FULL BIOGRAPHY OF LATE LAWRENCE IGYUSE DOKI (NOM-OR U KUNAV)
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‎Lawrence Igyuse Doki also written as Gyuse Doki — (1923-1981) was a Nigerian Army officer, World War II veteran, and Tiv nationalist hero. He is popularly known as "Tor shoja" and "The Emancipator of Makurdi" for leading the 1946 Makurdi riots that ended Hausa-Fulani dynastic rule over Makurdi and led to the creation of the Tor Tiv stool.
‎He is listed among notable people of Makurdi as "WW2 veteran and emancipator of Makurdi".
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‎Early Life
‎• Born: August 24, 1923 at Mbaduku, Vandeikya Local Government Area, Benue State
‎• Family: Son of Doki Abua Tortya of Mbaaposugh, Mbaadigam, Nyumagbagh Council Ward, Mbaduku District. He lost his parents as a child
‎• Education: St. Patrick's Catholic School, Tavaku (Taraku) in present-day Gwer East LGA, Benue State from 1934 to September 30, 1940, where he obtained his Standard Six Certificate.
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‎Military Career.
‎1. Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF) 1940-1946
‎He was conscripted into the RWAFF in 1940, just ten days after graduating at age 17.
‎• On January 27, 1941, he was deployed to the war front in Kenya where he served under General George Giffard and distinguished himself for courage.
‎• Transferred to Gold Coast (now Ghana) as a drilling officer for new West African recruits of the Gold Coast Regiment.
‎• Rose from Private to Company Sergeant Major (CSM), serving under Lt. Gen. Francis Nosworthy and later Lt. Gen. Montagu Brocas Burrows.
‎• Demobilized in 1946 after the end of WWII.
‎He served with Allegiance to the British Empire and later the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the Royal West African Frontier Force and Nigerian Army, and fought in World War II and the Nigerian Civil War
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‎Nigerian Army 1965-1972.
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‎Doki and other WW2 veterans were re-conscripted into the Nigerian Army in 1965. He fought on the Nigerian side during the Civil War (1967-1970) alongside Lt. Col. Akaahan Joseph Agbo. He retired in 1972 as a Second Lieutenant and returned to Mbaduku.
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‎The Emancipator of Makurdi - The 1946 Riots.
‎Before 1946, the Tiv felt marginalized by British indirect rule. Tivland was divided into three and placed under Jukun, Cross River and Lafia divisions, while Makurdi itself was ruled by a non-Tiv, Audu Dan Afoda, a Nupe/Hausa-speaking Muslim installed as Sarkin Makurdi (Chief of Makurdi) in 1914. Dan Afoda even led Tiv delegations to the Northern chiefs' meetings in Kaduna.
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‎Tiv people in Makurdi complained: The Tiv Resented the Hausa influence in Makurdi town... The Tiv resented the Hausa control of the courts, political power and landed property...scarcely could the Tiv secure plots of land or find accommodation in Makurdi.
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‎While still in Comilla, Bangladesh (then India) during WWII, Doki together with fellow veterans Aemberga Samu, Tsenzughul Tyungu, Ishi Wayo, Gbir Agera wrote to D.F.H. Macbride, Acting Resident of Benue Province, demanding the appointment of a Tor Tiv. Macbride refused, saying it was against colonial policy.
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‎After the war, agitations became pronounced with the return of Tiv soldiers like Makir Zakpe and Lawrence Igyuse Doki. They demanded an end to Hausa caliphate imposition.
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‎When Audu Dan Afoda died suddenly in 1945, the British tried to crown his son. This triggered the Makurdi riots of 1946, which were spearheaded by Lawrence Igyuse Doki. To quell the violence, the Governor of Nigeria, Sir Arthur Richards, had to revisit the demand for a Tiv king.
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‎The result: The planned Audu Dan Afoda dynasty was dislodged and the first Tor Tiv, Makir Zakpe who was in league with Doki was elected in 1946. This is why Doki and Zakpe are jointly hailed as the emancipators of the Tiv people in the 1940s.
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‎Incarceration and Exile
‎Ironically, of all the veterans, only Makir Zakpe benefited. Makondo Igbon of Nyiev, Ihyarev was made the first Tiv chief of Makurdi.
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‎Doki and his comrades were arrested, tried and convicted. As leader, Doki was sentenced to seven years and eight months in Enugu prison.
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‎After serving his term, Tor Tiv Makir Zakpe banished him from Tivland for political reasons. Doki was exiled to Western Nigeria and only returned in 1959, three years after Makir's death in 1956.
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‎Later Life and Death
‎After military career, imprisonment, exile and a stint in politics, he spent his final years as Boarding Master (B.M.) at Tilley Gyado College, Makurdi from 1974 to 1981.
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‎• Died: November 5, 1981, in Makurdi, Benue State, aged 58
‎• Buried: Mbaduku, Vandeikya Posthumous Honour and Legacy
‎• On April 22, 2000, the Kunav Traditional Council honoured his gallantry with the chieftaincy title "Nom or u Kunav" translated as "Kunav man of valor".
‎• After his agitation, Makurdi got only Tiv chiefs. The town became capital of Benue State in 1976.
‎• A street in Makurdi is named after him.
‎• He remains a central figure in Tiv history, mentioned alongside the origin of the Tor Tiv institution created in 1946 to give the Tiv effective representation.
‎Doki is remembered not just as a soldier who fought in Kenya, Gold Coast, and the Nigerian Civil War, but as a political activist who risked his freedom to restore Tiv self-governance over their own capital. He went to prison for 7 years and 8 months so Makurdi could be free. He was exiled so Tiv could have a King. True heroes don't wear crowns, they make crowns possible.
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‎Rest on, Tor Shoja. Your name will never die in Tivland.

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‎FULL BIOGRAPHY OF HRM BEGHA U TIV, ORCHIVIRIGH LATE MAKIR ZAKPE
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** ‎BASIC PROFILE
‎Born: 11 April 1896 at Mbayar, Nyumagbagh, Mbaduku District, present-day Vandeikya LGA, Benue State
‎House: Ipusu descendant of Kparev, chief of Ipusu, one of the two major divisions of Tiv whose stool rotates. He was Kunav section of Tiv
‎Mother: From Mbagen, present-day Buruku LGA
‎Reign: Selected 19 September 1946, Installed 1 November 1947 (official coronation rescheduled to 3 April 1947 by Governor), reigned until 11 October 1956
‎Died: 11 October 1956 at age 60 in Gboko, Northern Region, British Nigeria after a brief illness that was not made public
‎Burial: 14 October 1956 at Abagu, Gboko this became the burial ground for all successive Tor Tiv.
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**‎EARLY LIFE
‎He was born into the Kunav, a sub-group of the Tiv. His family lineage traces to Kpar (Kparev) from Ipusu ruling house. He was a second child of his mother Nginkaa wan Tingir.
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*‎Career 1: Military
‎Enlisted into the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF) stationed at Calabar in 1918 and posted to the third battalion of the Southern Nigeria Regiment.
‎He was part of Nigerian forces that fought in the Second World War between 1939 and 1946 and was promoted to Battalion Sergeant Major (BSM) before retiring — the highest rank for a non-commissioned African soldier at that time.
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*‎Career 2: Police
‎On retirement, he enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force at Jema'a Native Authority Police, Kafanchan, where he was later transferred back home to Benue to the Tiv Native Authority (TNA), Gboko as Chief of the Native Authority Police.
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*‎The Struggle for a Tiv King
‎This is the most detailed part:
‎Tiv people returned from WWII with his fellow veterans like Lawrence Igyuse Doki. Having fought wars for and against Kings, they realized the British treated Tiv with injustice using indirect rule. Tiv were divided into 3 factions and kept under Jukun minority at North-East, Cross River at South-South and Lafia Division at North-West. The British even appointed Audu Dan Afoda as Sarkin Makurdi (King of Makurdi). This led to conflicts and riots.
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‎Pressure mounted on Governor Sir Arthur Richards, who in 1944 formally allowed Tiv people to select a king.
‎The Politics of Selection
‎Two men were respected enough to be king — Chief Jato Aka of Turan and Ikyaagba Akpeye of Kunav but they were very old. So they sponsored others: Jato Aka supported Gondo Aluor, Ikyaagba prepared his grandson Orya Chenge Ikyaagba.
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‎Kunav people were not pleased with Ikyaagba's choice. Orya Chenge unfortunately died at Gboko. Allegations of witchcraft spread Tiv alleged his death was caused by a mystical thunder strike ordered by other Kunav contestants.
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‎Ikyaagba was heartbroken and furious. He schemed for the throne to go to any other part of Tivland but NOT Kunav. His scheme almost succeeded Gondo Aluor was scheduled to be crowned first Tor Tiv the next day.
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‎The plan was leaked by a man called Abela Manta to other Kunav chiefs. That night, chiefs Achir Mede, Adamgbe Adasu, Uchir Zungwe and Agbo Kpire convened and invited Ikyaagba. Apologies were offered about his grandson's death and a reconciliation was made. They chose a unanimous candidate: Makir Zakpe, a WWII veteran from Kunav.
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‎On coronation day, the Kunav chiefs used their sons Igeege Fate and Deem Kpum who were interpreters to the British Governor to foster their agenda. They told the Tiv council that the Governor said a king cannot be chosen in his absence, and told the Governor that Tiv think it more honorable to choose a king in his presence.
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‎The chiefs waited for Ikyaagba to speak since he was most respected by whites. He simply motioned to Agbo Kpire. Agbo Kpire told council: Ikyaagba said, the new king will be his walking stick, so his choice is Makir Zakpe. He emphasized the need for a war veteran because war veterans brought the campaign for a king, and ended with the Tiv proverb: "Kpan ka a tese ambi akula" (when a slave shows you faeces he packs it up).
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‎Gondo Aluor stood and asked Ikyaagba if this was their agreement yesterday. Agbo Kpire answered: "dzwa kaa kwagh mom ga" (the mouth didn't say anything).
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‎The Governor saw disagreement and ordered a vote. Result: Makir Zakpe 25 votes, Gondo Aluor 11 votes, 18 chiefs did not vote. Governor rescheduled coronation for 3 April 1947 and Makir Zakpe was crowned first Tor Tiv. His confirmation marked the climax in Tiv political development and resolved the crisis after Audu Dan Afoda's death in 1945.
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*‎Reign (1946-1956)
‎• President of Tiv Central Council (Ijir Tamen) acting as Chief Judge and advocate of Tiv before government.
‎• Under colonial indirect rule, he was responsible for maintaining peace and order, collecting taxes, recruiting labour, and resolving conflicts.
‎• His office was in limbo: created to satisfy Tiv demand for representation but absorbed into colonial system. He had to balance government instructions with a society that never had a single central authority.
‎• Became spokesman for Tiv in dealings with colonial and Northern regional authorities. Was at one time suspended when he opposed government policies seen as contrary to Tiv political traditions. • As a military veteran, he applied conflict resolution wisely ensured no conflicts in Tivland.
‎• Approved construction of Tor Tiv office building.
‎• Wiped out the 1948 Garyo movement.
‎• Ruled from his house at Joe Akaahan Way, Gboko until death.
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‎Succession and Legacy
‎He was succeeded by his former competitor Gondo Aluor. His accession brought the custom of rotating Tor Tiv stool between Ipusu and Ichongo divisions.
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‎That is why Tiv people still say: before Tor Tiv stool, we had no king Makir made us equal with Hausa neighbours and gave us a voice. His personality was soldier-discipline + police-firmness + traditional humility the exact combination people forget today.
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‎"Jato Aka had the power to declare himself, but MAKIR DZAKPE had the trust of the people. He didn't force the stool, the stool found him. A soldier, a leader, a symbol of unity. From 1946 to 1956, he showed us that true leadership is not claimed, it is given by the people. Your legacy still holds Tiv together."

Note: The attached pictures are Ai version as the original pictures in archives are not clearer for display.

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‎‎FULL BIOGRAPHY OF JOSEPH SAAWUAN TARKA NACHI.
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‎Early Life & Education
‎Joseph Sarwuan Tarka was born on July 10, 1932 in Igbor, now in Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State. His father, Tarka Nachi, was a schoolteacher who rose to become a headmaster and a traditional chief in the Mbakor area around Gboko.
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‎He attended Native Authority Primary School in Gboko and Katsina-Ala Middle School before training as a teacher at Bauchi Rural Science School. Before politics, he worked as a teacher and science educator and was active in the Tiv Native Authority Staff Union and the Northern Teachers Association.
‎Entry Into Politics - The Youngest Parliamentarian
‎In 1954, at just 22 years old, Tarka was elected to the Federal House of Representatives representing the Jemgbagh constituency. It was an extraordinary beginning for a young schoolteacher from Igbor.
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‎Nigeria at that time was dominated by 3 big parties - NPC in the North, Action Group in the West, and NCNC in the East. Tiv and other Middle Belt people were inside the Northern Region but felt politically overshadowed.
‎The United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC)
‎To fight for minority rights, Tarka co-founded and became President General of the United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC) in 1957, formed from earlier groups like the Middle Zone League and Middle Belt People's Party.
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‎Under Tarka, the UMBC became more than a party. Its main mission was to secure political influence for minority communities and its signature demand was the creation of a separate Middle Belt state.
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‎He understood minorities cannot win alone. The UMBC forged a strategic alliance with Chief Obafemi Awolowo's Action Group. This alliance-building became his trademark.
‎Constitutional Conferences & National Voice
‎Tarka was a delegate to the 1957-1958 Constitutional Conference and represented the Middle Belt before the Willink Commission, the body set up to investigate the fears of Nigeria's minorities ahead of independence.
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‎He was not just a Tiv politician - the UMBC assembled interests from across many Middle Belt communities who shared a common anxiety about their place within the Northern Region.
‎Trials and Detention
‎Politics in the First Republic was dangerous. In 1961 he was detained in Jos during investigations connected to the Tiv riots. In 1962 he was arrested alongside other Action Group leaders on charges of treasonable felony, but was acquitted for lack of evidence.
‎Federal Commissioner Under Gowon
‎After the 1966 coup, General Yakubu Gowon's government created new states in 1967, including Benue-Plateau State - which was part of what Tarka had fought for over a decade.
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‎Gowon appointed him Federal Commissioner for Transport in 1967, and by 1971 Federal Commissioner for Communications. He moved from opposition to inside federal power, overseeing sectors critical to rebuilding Nigeria after the civil war.
‎The 1974 Resignation
‎In 1974, corruption allegations were levelled against him by Godwin Daboh-Adzuana, a fellow Tiv politician. Under mounting pressure, Tarka resigned from the federal cabinet. It is important to be precise: he resigned amid allegations. That is not the same as the allegations having been proven.
‎Return and Second Republic
‎Tarka did not vanish. When Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1979, he re-entered politics under the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), winning election as Senator for Benue East Central and becoming Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriation. His son Simeon Mbakorkaa Tarka was also elected to the House of Representatives in 1979 as the youngest member at the time.
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‎Death
‎His second act was tragically brief. He died in London on March 30, 1980 at age 47 after travelling for medical treatment. He was buried in Gboko on April 12, 1980.
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‎Legacy
‎His most lasting contribution was an argument: that communities outside Nigeria's dominant regional blocs deserved meaningful political representation.
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‎Today:
‎• Tarka Local Government Area in Benue bears his name
‎ • Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi (JOSTUM) - formerly Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi was renamed in his honour
‎• Stadium in Gboko named after him At A Glance.
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‎"Chief J.S. Tarka did not live long, but he lived deep. He came as a teacher, fought as a voice for the voiceless, and left as a legend. He wanted not just a Tiv State, but a Nigeria where every minority can stand tall. The man died in 1980, but his argument still lives. Rest on, the Father of Middle Belt politics."
‎If Tarka did not fight then, there would be no Benue today.

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‎FULL BIOGRAPHY OF AKIGA SAI (1898-1959)
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‎Akiga Sai is celebrated as the father of Tiv written history, the first Tiv man to be baptized as a Christian, to read and write, to write a letter, to write a book, to edit a newspaper, and to sit in Parliament.
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‎He is known today as one of the few indigenous African anthropologists and historians of the early 20th century.
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‎1. Early life and family background
‎• Born 1898 in Salatu, Tivland, in present-day Benue State. His father was Sai Dekpe (Sai Adekpo), headman of Salatu village.
‎• His mother left his father when he was young. Missionary E.N. Casaleggio describes him as a neglected child left to fend for himself.
‎• Akiga himself wrote differently — in his own History of the Tiv he describes himself as his father's "favourite child" and their relationship in a benign light.
‎• In a 1943 report after his father's death on 15 April 1943, he wrote: "My father was not a confessed Christian, but he was a good man... He was the first in Tivland to welcome the Mission... He took me, his beloved son, and gave me to the missionaries, this was something new in the eyes of the Tiv"
‎• He had physical disabilities as a child: one eye blind and part of his foot eaten by ulcers. Later he received a glass eye from mission doctors missionary W.A. Malherbe records him bursting into the office shouting "I va vo, I va vo!" (it has come) — the Tiv believed he could now see equally well.
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‎2. Mission education and conversion
‎• The Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (DRCSA) Sudan Mission founded its first station in Salatu in 1911 under Carl Zimmerman.
‎• At about 13 years old, Sai began working for Zimmerman as a 'houseboy'. At that time Tiv considered working for white people "shameful".
‎• Zimmerman opened a school at Salatu in August 1911. Sai attended and "progressed rapidly" because he was intelligent.
‎• 21 January 1912: professed belief in God publicly.
‎• 8 January 1915: started training as evangelist.
‎• 30 December 1917: part of the first group of four Tiv formally baptised making him the first Tiv Christian.
‎• He learned to read and write in Tiv and Hausa. He wrote his first letter in 1914, just three years after starting school.
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‎3. Work as evangelist-teacher and translator (1915-1945)
‎Sai is described in official records as an evangelist, teacher and translator for the DRC (1915-1945).
‎• 1914, age ∼15: opened his first out-school in the village of Dogo: "In the village of Dogo we opened our first outschool today with Akiga as teacher" remarkable given only basic literacy training.
‎• 1916: transferred to Zaki Biam to assist Rev. Attie Brink and wife Alice with translation. Brink called him "evangelist-teacher" she confessed she knew only a few words of Tiv while Sai taught children to read their own mother tongue.
‎• 1919: placed under censure for 'living in sin' and prohibited from evangelical work.
‎• 1920-1922: posted to Zaki Biam for translation, then retrained at Salatu under Rev. Botha.
‎• 1926: Censured again, then retrained as teacher and worked in Sevav from 1927.
‎• 1931: posted to Makurdi to pave way for Rev. M. Visser, countering spread of Catholicism and teaching children in afternoons.
‎• 1933: transferred with Malherbe from Sevav to Mkar to complete translation of the New Testament in Tiv.
‎• Throughout this period he was vital because missionaries knew Hausa better than Tiv and he was fluent in both. He conducted most services and exploration missions, preparing new stations.
‎• He is credited in mission documents for work on Tiv literature and Bible translation, though this credit was not publicly available for decades.
‎He left the mission for good in 1945 after a third censure. After that he became a polygamist.
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‎4. Family life
‎• First wife: Dina Yangana, described by researcher Atah Pine as "a returnee slave girl of Kanuri extraction" they had nine children: four girls and five boys.
‎• Later wives: Jato Akiga of Shangev-Ya clan and Zaiyol of Mbaikyobo, Ukan clan. Zaiyol bore two more children. Other sources mention Achivir Rachel Akiga of Nanev as third wife.
‎• Daughter Dioshima / Dooshima (meaning love) born 31 May 1928 at 12:15 am: "Thursday morning on 12:15 am Akiga's daughter Doishima was born. Everything well". This corresponds to Lydia Dooshima Emberga (1929-96).
‎• First child recorded 12 May 1919 in Rev. J.G. Strydom's diary.
‎• Half-brother: Rev. Ishilibo Sai. 5. The Historian History of the Tiv
‎• Spent 20 years researching his history, gathering oral histories from Tiv chiefs and elders.
‎• Completed Tiv manuscript Histeri u Tiv in 1935.
‎• Manuscript was typed, bound in two parts. One copy sent to Cape Synod offices in 1940: "Akiga wrote a 'hefty' history of his people". Another beautifully bound copy with gold lettering sent in 1965 by his half-brother and kept in DRC Archive. • British colonial officer Rupert East edited and translated a shortened version, published by the International African Institute in 1939 as *Akiga's Story: The Tiv Tribe as seen by one of its Members*.
‎• Sai scholars argue the retitling from History to Story was "demeaning" and reflected colonial prejudice that his work was not real history.
‎• Original manuscript deposited at University of Ibadan library in September 1964 by his son Ezekiel Akiga. Cover was being eaten by termites when found.
‎• Full edition finally published in 2015 as The History of the Tiv translated by Martin Luter Akiga (grandson), Harold Bergsma et al., published by International African Institute and Bookcraft with no sections omitted and original order kept.
‎The book is described as canonical, seminal, "a complex many-genred text perhaps unrivalled among any traditional histories derived from native language by members of their own societies" covering clans, genealogies, plant and animal names, food preparation, marriage customs, religious practices, and personal experiences during colonization and missionary intervention.
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‎5. Later public life
‎After leaving the mission:
‎• Editor of Mwanger u Tiv (Tiv Messenger), the Tiv newspaper.
‎• Head of Adult Education in Tivland
‎• Politician: listed in Sklar's book on Nigerian political parties as a Benue member of the National People's Congress (NPC) for 1958 and represented Tiv in Parliament in Kaduna.
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‎6. Death and legacy
‎• Died 1959.
‎• No full biography had been published up to 2015 scholar Richard Fardon wrote that this gap "deserves to be filled by someone able to research in both Tiv and Hausa" (and as later work shows, Afrikaans).
‎• Today a household name among Sh*tile, all Tiv, and world scholars of African anthropology.
‎• Grandson Martin Luter Akiga became chief project editor and translator of the 2015 edition.
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‎Akiga Sai (1898-1959) — The man who gave the Tiv people their written history! 🙏
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‎He was told he was lost when his father gave him to missionaries. He turned that loss into legacy. 20 years of oral history, one book — HISTORY OF THE TIV — and generations will never forget who we are.
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‎We honor the father of Tiv literacy! ✊🏾

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‎FULL BIOGRAPHY OF DANIEL OWEFIN AMOKACHI A.K.A THE BULL.
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‎**Daniel Owefin Amokachi is a Nigerian football legend, former Super Eagles striker and coach. Born on 30 December 1972 in Kaduna, Nigeria, with family roots in Otukpa, Ogbadibo LGA, Benue State. His full name is Daniel Owefin Amokachi, position Forward, nicknamed "The Bull" for his power and fearless charging at defenders.
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‎**Early Life & Origin of The Bull
‎Amokachi grew up in Kaduna playing on local fields, noted for his exceptional strength, speed and powerful shots.
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‎He broke into the limelight in 1988 with Ranchers Bees FC of Kaduna. He was discovered while playing for Ranchers Bees by national team coach Clemens Westerhof, who brought him to the 1990 African Nations Cup at just 16-17 years old.
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‎The nickname came from Westerhof himself. Amokachi explained:
‎“He just told me ‘go in there and bully them,’ and I go in there and do my stuff, and then he said ‘you know why I call you The Bull? Because you charge those defenders and anybody that you see in front of you.’”
‎He was also called Black Bull and Black Train in his playing days.
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‎**Club Career
‎Ranchers Bees (1989-1990)
‎Where his professional journey began.
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‎Club Brugge (1990-1994) - Belgium
‎81 league appearances, 35 goals. Rose to prominence in Europe in the early 1990s.
‎• Became the first player to score in the new UEFA Champions League format, after his goal secured a 1-0 win vs CSKA Moscow in 1992 • Belgian Ebony Shoes Award: 1992, 1994
‎Everton (1994-1996) - England
‎Signed for £3m from Brugge, 43 apps, 10 goals. Gained Premier League fame, especially remembered for his brace in the 1995 FA Cup semi-final.
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‎The famous story: In the semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur, while Paul Rideout was receiving treatment, Amokachi substituted himself into the match while manager Joe Royle had only instructed him to warm up. He scored two goals and took Everton to the final, which they won - FA Cup Winner 1995. He is remembered fondly for his beret-wearing celebrations afterwards.
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‎Beşiktaş (1996-2000) - Turkey
‎Joined from Everton in 1996. 77 apps, 18 goals. Became a fan favorite with his aggressive style and goal-scoring ability.
‎• Turkish Cup: 1997-98
‎• Turkish Super Cup: 1998
‎• Scored Beşiktaş's Super League 2000th goal
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‎End of Playing Career
‎After leaving Beşiktaş in 1999, his playing career effectively ended due to knee injuries. He signed with 1860 Munich but the contract was cancelled after he failed a medical test, was rejected by Tranmere Rovers for same reason, trained with US Créteil in France, signed by Colorado Rapids in MLS in 2002 but released before a single match, and had a brief spell in UAE and with Nasarawa United.
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‎** International Career - Super Eagles
‎Key striker for the Super Eagles in the 1990s, 44 caps, 13 goals from 1990-1999.
‎• 1994 African Cup of Nations: Helped Nigeria win its second AFCON title
‎• 1994 FIFA World Cup USA: Scored Nigeria's first-ever World Cup goal in their debut tournament vs Bulgaria
‎• 1996 Olympics Atlanta: Won Gold Medal with Nigeria's U-23 Dream Team — a historic moment in African football, scoring in the gold medal game against Argentina.
‎• 1998 FIFA World Cup: Part of the team that participated in 1994 and 1998 World Cups, but sustained injury just ahead of 1998 and played only one match.
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‎**Coaching & Managerial Career
‎Transitioned into coaching and football administration.
‎• 2006-2007: Nasarawa United
‎• 2007: Nigeria assistant coach
‎• 2008: Enyimba Aba
‎• 2008-2014: Nigeria assistant coach - re-appointed as assistant to Shuaibu Amodu in 2008, and later assistant to late Stephen Keshi. Won AFCON 2013 as assistant.
‎• 2014-2015: Nigeria interim manager
‎• 2015: FC Ifeanyi Ubah - managed and resigned after five weeks
‎• 2016-2017: JS Hercules (Finland) - manager, then technical director 2017-2018
‎• 2020-2024: Nigeria's Football Ambassador appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari. Promotes grassroots football development.
‎**Lobi Stars FC (2024-2025) - The Latest Chapter
‎In October 2024, the management of Lobi Stars Football Club of Makurdi fired Coach Eugene Agagbe and appointed Daniel Amokachi as new Technical Adviser following the team's poor runs since the start of the 2024-2025 NPFL Season.
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‎He took charge of first training as technical adviser and led the team through Matchday 10 vs Remo Stars and other NPFL fixtures.
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‎He resigned in February 2025 from his position as head coach of Lobi Stars following a 1-1 home draw against Katsina United, leaving the Makurdi-based club at the bottom of the table.
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‎**Personal Life & Legacy
‎Amokachi is married to a Tunisian woman and has twin sons named Kalim and Nazim, both of whom were in the Besiktas youth academy. He also has a daughter named Raya.
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‎Honours include FA Cup Winner with Everton (1995), AFCON Champion (1994), Olympic Gold Medalist (1996), Scorer of Nigeria's first World Cup goal.
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‎Today he is known as one of Nigeria's most powerful and fearless strikers and a symbol of Nigeria's golden football era in the 1990s.
‎“Football gave me everything I have today; it is my duty to give back to the game and to Nigeria.”
‎The Bull charged for Nigeria, but his roots are Benue. Otukpa boy, Benue pride, Naija legend. Every young boy in Makurdi, Gboko, Otukpo, Vandeikya your own glory dey wait. Charge like Amokachi!
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