Benue: ECRI rejects Pilot Ranching, demands return of IDPs to ancestral homes

By Peter Duru, Makurdi The Ebenezer Christian Relief Initiative (ECRI) has rejected the proposed pilot ranching programme in Benue State, insisting that the state has no land to accommodate the initiative and urging the Federal Government to prioritise the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their ancestral homes. The Chairman of ECRI, Rev.

Dr Augustine Leva, stated this in Makurdi during a press briefing, where he maintained that the organisation would not support the implementation of pilot ranching in the state. Leva, a former Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Benue State chapter, argued that Benue already had a legal framework prohibiting open grazing and regulating livestock management, stressing that any Federal Government initiative must respect existing state laws and the rights of landowners and farming communities.

He said the Federal Government must not introduce policies capable of undermining the interests and security of the people without adequate consultation with relevant stakeholders. According to him, “We do not have land in Benue to give for ranching. Ranching and other livestock management policies should not be imposed on the people without adequate and genuine consultation with the State Government, traditional rulers, community leaders, farmers and other relevant stakeholders.” The ECRI chairman stressed that the organisation was not opposed to lawful livestock development but insisted that the protection of human lives, property, farmlands and community rights must remain paramount.

He noted that Governor Hyacinth Alia had already rejected the proposed pilot ranching policy, recalling the governor’s position during his thank-you tour of the state. Leva quoted the governor as declaring that “there is no land in the state for pilot ranching.” He urged the Federal Government to respect the position of the Benue State Government and called on the governor to remain resolute in defending the legitimate interests of the people while pursuing lawful approaches to security and development.

The cleric lamented that persistent insecurity in Benue had inflicted enormous and immeasurable hardship on residents, with several families losing loved ones, farmlands and sources of livelihood. He observed that many residents had been forced out of their ancestral communities and were currently living in deplorable conditions in various IDP camps and host communities.

The organisation also expressed concern over alleged discrepancies between casualty figures released by security agencies and accounts provided by eyewitnesses and affected communities following attacks across the state. It called for accurate, transparent and timely reporting of casualty figures, describing such information as essential to public confidence, accountability and the pursuit of justice.

While appealing to the Federal Government to intensify efforts to protect lives and property, ECRI urged authorities to prioritise the resettlement of displaced persons and ensure that policies affecting Benue were developed through lawful and inclusive consultations. Leva also called for unity among traditional rulers, security agencies, community leaders and the church in confronting those responsible for attacks on communities.

He urged stakeholders to work together to resist what he described as the agenda of invaders seeking to occupy the ancestral lands of Benue people.