Three major socio-cultural organisations in Benue State have urged the Federal Government to prioritise the safe return and resettlement of internally displaced persons before implementing its proposed pilot ranching scheme in the state.

The organisations, Mzough U Tiv, Ochetoha k’Idoma and Omi Ny’Igede, said they were not opposed to modern ranching but rejected any policy that would be imposed on communities or implemented at the expense of displaced farmers and food production.

The groups made their position known at a press conference addressed by the President General of Mzough U Tiv Worldwide and Chairman of the Benue Socio-Cultural Organisations, Air Commodore Titus Agbecha (retd.), alongside the leaders of Ochetoha k’Idoma and Omi Ny’Igede.

Agbecha said the organisations received the Federal Government’s ranching proposal with mixed feelings, noting that properly implemented ranching could help reduce clashes between farmers and herders while improving food security.

He, however, argued that Benue’s security and humanitarian situation made it inappropriate to allocate large areas of land for ranches while displaced communities remained unable to return home.

He said more than 500,000 Benue residents were currently living in IDP camps across the state without homes, farms or livelihoods.

The retired Air Commodore warned that establishing ranches under the current circumstances could be perceived as rewarding violence and dispossession.

The organisations also expressed concern that large-scale land acquisition for ranching could undermine agricultural production in Benue, one of Nigeria’s major food-producing states.

They therefore called for the restoration of occupied communities, justice for victims, genuine consultation with host communities, and appropriate compensation before any ranching project begins.

Agbecha stressed that the groups were not against modern ranching but insisted that it must be voluntary, community-driven and implemented without displacing farmers or undermining food production.

They urged Benue residents to remain peaceful and law-abiding while calling on the Federal Government to make the return and resettlement of displaced persons its immediate priority.