By Daniel Aondoaseer Zendesha 

The Nigeria Catholic Diocesan Priests Association (NCDPA), Makurdi Diocese, has rejected the reported inclusion of Benue State in a Federal Government ranching initiative, calling for wider consultation before any such programme proceeds.

The association said the proposed ranching policy raises concerns about the protection of ancestral lands and the future of communities affected by prolonged insecurity and displacement.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Revd. Fr. Joseph Terfa Beba, the NCDPA questioned what it described as the apparent exclusion of the Benue State Government from the decision-making process surrounding the reported initiative.

The priests argued that any ranching programme in Benue should involve the state government, traditional rulers and communities that could be directly affected.

The association also called for displaced Benue residents to be enabled to return safely to their ancestral communities and reclaim their lands before discussions on existing or proposed ranching structures are concluded.

According to the NCDPA, Benue has experienced prolonged insecurity, killings, displacement and destruction of communities, making land-related policies particularly sensitive.

The association expressed concern that ranching, if introduced without adequate consultation and safeguards, could result in what it described as land grabbing, forced occupation or permanent displacement.

Those concerns are the position of the association and were not independently established in the material supplied to Benue Info-pedia.
NCDPA questions ranching model
The priests further described Benue as predominantly an agrarian state and argued that commercial ranching was not viable in the state.

The association did not provide detailed economic data in the supplied statement to support that assessment.

The NCDPA also reaffirmed its support for the position of the Catholic Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Most Rev. Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, CMF, who has previously spoken against policies the Church considers threats to the ancestral lands and security of Benue communities.

“Our land is not for sale and has never been on sale,” the association said, stressing that the ancestral homes of Benue people should not become bargaining chips in government policy.

The priests called on the Federal Government to respect what they described as the constitutional rights of Benue residents and engage relevant stakeholders before proceeding with any ranching initiative in the state.

The development adds the Catholic clergy's voice to the wider debate over how Nigeria should address livestock production, farmer-herder tensions, land use and ranching in Benue.