…Backs safe return of IDPs home
The Ebenezer Christian Relief Initiative (ECRI) has kicked against the Federal Government’s proposed pilot ranching in Benue State and admonished the government to work toward the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their ancestral homes.
Addressing a news conference in Makurdi, Chairman of the group, Rev. Dr Augustine Akpen Leva, noted with emphasis that there was no place for pilot ranching in the state, even as the body does not support the implementation of the programme.
Dr Leva said Benue State has an existing legal framework prohibiting open grazing and providing regulated livestock management, and any initiative introduced by the federal government must respect the state laws, the rightful landowners, the interest of the farming communities and the security concerns of the people.
The immediate past chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Benue State chapter disclosed that they do not have land in Benue to give for ranching, insisting that 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 group rather called for the protection of human lives, property, farmlands, and community rights as they noted that the ECRI was not opposed to lawful livestock development.
Rev. Leva informed that the Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Iormen Alia, has already rejected the policy of pilot ranching as the Governor emphasised during his thank you tour of the State that, “there is no land in the state for pilot ranching”, encouraging the government to remain resolute and uncompromising in defending the legitimate interest of Benue people while pursuing lawful and rightful approaches to security and development.
Leva lamented that the persistent insecurity in Benue State has caused enormous and unquantifiable suffering as, according to him, families have lost loved ones and farmlands and sources of livelihood, while numerous residents have been displaced from their ancestral communities and are living in deplorable conditions.
The group also expressed deep concern about reported discrepancies between casualty figures released by security agencies and accounts provided by eyewitnesses and affected communities following attacks in Benue and called for accurate and transparent reporting, which he described as essential to public confidence, accountability and justice.
While appealing to the federal government to prioritise the protection of lives and property, support for the resettlement of IDPs and ensure that policies affecting Benue State are developed through lawful and inclusive consultation, Leva also appealed for unity of all stakeholders, including traditional rulers, security agencies, community leaders and the church, to fight the invaders who have the agenda to occupy their lands.
