Benue leaders to Abuja: Resettle displaced communities before launching ranching scheme
Benue’s leading socio-cultural organisations have urged the Federal Government to prioritise the return and resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) before proceeding with plans to introduce a pilot ranching programme in the state.
The groups, Mzough U Tiv (MUT), Ochetoha K’Idoma (OKI) and Omi Ny’Igede (ONI), said they support modern ranching in principle but warned that it should not be implemented at the expense of communities that remain displaced by insecurity.
Benue’s leading socio-cultural organisations have urged the Federal Government to prioritise the return and resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) before proceeding with plans to introduce a pilot ranching programme in the state.
The groups, Mzough U Tiv (MUT), Ochetoha K’Idoma (OKI) and Omi Ny’Igede (ONI), said they support modern ranching in principle but warned that it should not be implemented at the expense of communities that remain displaced by insecurity.
Speaking at a joint press briefing in Makurdi, the Chairman of Benue Socio-Cultural Organisations and President General of MUT Worldwide, Air Commodore Titus Agbecha (retd), said the organisations had received the Federal Government’s proposal with mixed reactions.
According to Agbecha, ranching has the potential to reduce conflicts linked to open grazing and strengthen food security if properly designed and managed. However, he argued that Benue’s current security and humanitarian challenges make large-scale land allocation for ranches premature.
He said more than 500,000 people are still living in IDP camps across the state, having lost their homes, farmlands and means of livelihood.
“It is difficult to justify discussions about allocating land for ranching when the rightful owners of that land remain displaced in their own communities,” he said.
Agbecha further alleged that several communities in Benue have endured years of attacks, displacement and occupation, leaving many residents unable to return to their ancestral homes.
He warned that introducing ranches under such circumstances could be perceived as legitimising dispossession rather than addressing its consequences.
“Peace, justice and the restoration of affected communities must come first,” he said, calling for comprehensive mediation efforts and support for victims before any ranching initiative is rolled out.
The organisations also expressed concern that extensive land acquisition could undermine agricultural production in a state widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s key food-producing regions.
“Benue remains the food basket of the nation. Any programme involving significant land acquisition must not compromise food production,” Agbecha said.
The groups urged the Federal Government to make the safe return and rehabilitation of displaced residents its immediate priority, insisting that lasting peace should precede policy implementation.
They also called for meaningful consultation with host communities, as well as their consent and adequate compensation, before any ranching project is approved.
Reaffirming their position, the organisations stressed that they are not opposed to ranching but want any programme to be voluntary, community-driven and compatible with local agricultural interests.
Agbecha appealed for calm among residents and said the organisations would continue to engage government authorities through dialogue.
“For Nigeria to achieve food security, Benue farmers must first be secure on their land,” he said.
