The Ebenezer Christian Relief Initiative, ECRI, has rejected the proposed pilot ranching programme in Benue State and called on the Federal Government to facilitate the return of internally displaced persons, IDPs, to their ancestral homes.
The group’s chairman, Rev. Akpen Leva, disclosed this on Wednesday during a press briefing in Makurdi.
He said there was no place for pilot ranching in the state, adding that the organisation did not support the programme.
Leva said Benue State had an existing legal framework prohibiting open grazing and providing for regulated livestock management.
He maintained that any initiative introduced by the Federal Government must respect state laws, the rights of landowners, the interests of farming communities and the security concerns of the people.
Leva said the group had no land to offer for ranching in the state.
He insisted that ranching and other livestock management policies should not be imposed on the people without adequate and genuine consultations with the state government, traditional rulers, community leaders, farmers and other relevant stakeholders.
Leva called for the protection of human lives, property, farmlands and community rights, noting that ECRI was not opposed to lawful livestock development.
He said Governor Hyacinth Alia had already rejected the pilot ranching policy, citing the governor’s remarks during his thank-you tour of the state that “there is no land in the state for pilot ranching.”
Leva called on the Federal Government to respect the governor’s position and urged the state government to remain resolute in defending the legitimate interests of the people while pursuing lawful approaches to security and development.
He lamented that persistent insecurity in Benue State had caused enormous suffering, with families losing loved ones, farmlands and sources of livelihood.
Leva added that numerous residents had been displaced from their ancestral communities and were living in deplorable conditions.
He also expressed concern over reported discrepancies between casualty figures released by security agencies and accounts provided by eyewitnesses and affected communities following attacks in the state.
Leva called for accurate and transparent reporting, describing it as essential to public confidence, accountability and justice.
He appealed to the Federal Government to prioritise the protection of lives and property and support the resettlement of IDPs.
Leva also called for unity among stakeholders, including traditional rulers, security agencies, community leaders and the Church, to confront those he described as invaders seeking to occupy their lands.
