Three major socio-cultural organisations in Benue State have expressed mixed feelings over the Federal Government’s proposed pilot ranching scheme in the Middle Belt and called for the prioritisation of displaced persons’ resettlement before any such programme begins.
Speaking on behalf of Mdzough U Tiv, Ochetoha k’Idoma and Omi Ny’Igede, the Chairman of Benue Socio-Cultural Organisations, Air Commodore Titus Agbecha (Rtd), said the groups received the announcement that Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau States would serve as pilot locations for the establishment of ranches with cautious concern.
While acknowledging that modern ranching could help reduce farmer-herder conflicts and improve food security, Agbecha outlined three critical realities that must first be addressed in Benue. He noted that over 500,000 Benue people currently live in Internally Displaced Persons’ camps with no homes, farms or livelihoods to return to, making it unjust to discuss new land use for ranches while the rightful owners remain refugees in their own state.
He further stated that several communities have been under siege for more than five years, with villages attacked, occupied and residents killed or displaced, without comprehensive mediation, justice or resettlement. Establishing ranches under such conditions, he warned, would be perceived as rewarding violence and dispossession. With rapid population growth placing immense pressure on available land for agricultural production, any large-scale land acquisition must not undermine Benue’s role as the food basket of the nation.
The organisations therefore called on the Federal Government to prioritise the safe return and resettlement of all IDPs to their ancestral homes, ensure genuine mediation, guarantee security of lives and restore occupied communities before any pilot scheme proceeds. They insisted that dialogue, consent and compensation with host communities are essential, stressing that land is a sensitive issue that cannot be imposed.
While stating they are not opposed to modern ranching, the groups maintained that it must be voluntary, community-driven and must not displace food production. Residents were urged to remain calm and law-abiding as the organisations engage relevant authorities through dialogue.
