The three socio-cultural organisations in Benue State, on Friday rejected the federal government’s proposed pilot ranching scheme for Middle Belt states, including Benue. Our correspondent reports that the groups, including Mdzough U Tiv (MUT), Ochetoha K’Idoma and Omi Ny’Igede, which are the highest tribal bodies of the people of the state, also urged the federal government to ensure resettlement of over 500,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in various camps across the state. The president-general of the MUT worldwide and chairman of the three groups, Air Commodore Titus Agbecha (retd), who spoke on behalf of the groups at a press conference in Makurdi, said the proposed policy remained a matter of grave concern to Benue State. “We have received with mixed feelings, the announcement by the federal government on the establishment of ranches in the country, using Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau states as a pilot scheme. Ordinarily, ranching as a modern practice of animal husbandry is welcome as it can reduce farmers-herders conflict and improve food security, however, due to the peculiar realities on ground in Benue and neighbouring states, we have three critical realities that must be addressed first. We currently have over 500,000 Benue people living in internally displaced persons camps across Benue State. They have no home to return to, no shelter, no farms, and no livelihood. Thus, it is unjust to talk about new land use for ranches when the owners of the land are still refugees in their own state,” he said. Agbecha, flanked by his counterparts – Ochetoha K’Idoma, Prof Yakubu Ochefu and Omi Ny’Igede’s Daniel Omera – noted that the group would insist that any programme that involves large-scale land acquisition must not undermine food production. The group added that for many years, several communities in Benue had been under siege, while villages had been attacked, occupied, and people killed or chased away with no comprehensive mediation, no justice and no resettlement. “Establishing ranches under this atmosphere will be seen as rewarding violence and dispossession. With rapid population growth, available lands in Benue and neighbouring states are under immense pressure for agricultural production. Benue remains the ‘Food Basket of the Nation.’ “In the light of the forgoing, we call on the federal government to prioritise the safe return and resettlement of all IDPs to their ancestral homes before any pilot scheme begins. Again, there must be genuine mediation, security of lives and restoration of occupied communities. Peace must precede policy. Dialogue and consent are quite essential. “Any ranching programme must be done through proper consultation, consent and compensation with host communities. Land is a sensitive issue and cannot be imposed. We are not against modern ranching, but it must be voluntary, community-driven, and must not displace food production,” the group maintained.
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