The Mutual Union of Tiv in America (MUTA) has urged the Federal Government to reconsider the decision to include Benue in the implementation of the National Ranching pilot programme.
MUTA made this known in a statement on Monday in Makurdi, jointly signed by its President, Prof. Akaa Ayangeakaa, and the Executive Committee Chairman, Prof. Joseph Zume.
The union said Benue communities had endured years of violent attacks, killings, destruction of homes and farms, and mass displacement linked to herdsmen attacks.
According to MUTA, many displaced persons are yet to return to their ancestral communities and remain in difficult conditions in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.
The group said national unity should be built on justice, insisting that economic policies must respect the security, dignity and ancestral rights of communities.
MUTA urged the government to prioritise securing affected communities, facilitating their safe return and protecting their land rights.
The association noted that the criteria used for the selection of the states for the pilot programme should have been made public and that consultations should have been held before taking such a decision.
The group also asked for clarification on who would own and operate the proposed ranches and where the land for the projects would be sourced.
It expressed concern that land belonging to displaced communities could be considered vacant and incorporated into the ranching programme.
“Displacement does not extinguish ownership; violence cannot become a pathway to land acquisition,” MUTA said.
The association therefore appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Government to suspend Benue’s participation in the pilot programme.
It instead called for the safe return, rehabilitation, compensation and protection of displaced communities before any ranching initiative.
It said modern ranching could be promoted in locations where communities voluntarily accepted the projects and suitable land was legitimately allocated.
MUTA stressed that Benue, being Nigeria’s food basket, depended heavily on crop farming, making land central to the livelihood and heritage of its people.
The association further called on the Benue Government, traditional institutions, community leaders, civil society organisations and elected representatives to pursue lawful means to protect Benue’s ancestral lands.
