Tor Tiv’s Death: Traditional Council, Committee Announce Burial Rites.

The Tiv Area Traditional Council in conjunction with the Benue State Committee for the planning of the burial of late Tor Tiv IV, Orchivirigh Alfred Akawe Torkula, has announced the burial rites for the deceased paramount ruler.

This is coming as the committee, headed by a former military administrator, General Atom Kpera (rtd), has built a tomb in Gboko town, the ancestral home of the Tiv nation, where the corpse of the late traditional ruler will be laid to rest with his ancestors.

The late Akawe Torkula was born on July 10, 1944 in Mbadwem district of Guma local government area of Benue State, and was installed king on April 21, 1991. He reigned for about 23 years.

Meanwhile, the battle for who succeeds the late Tor Tiv has intensified between the two blocs of the Tiv nation; the Ipusu and Ichongo traditional units respectively.

However, the burial committee announced that varied intermediate areas in the Tiv nation will participate in the burial rites including the wake keep at Tor Tiv palace Gboko and final burial.

It said the Jemgbah intermediate area would hold its wake on Thursday, 28, January 2016 and the Jerchira intermediate area will take its turn on Friday, 29th, while the Kwande will hold the wake on Saturday the 30th January, 2016 respectively.

The committee added that the Sankera intermediate area will have the wake on Monday, 31st January, Tiv in the Diaspora on 1st February while Tuesday, 2nd and Wednesday 3rd February 2016 are the turns of Minda, where the Late Tor Tiv hailed from.

Furthermore, it announced that on 4th February, 2016 there would be an interdenominational service at the popular JS Tarka Stadium Gboko after which the final interment will take place.