Catholic Priests Oppose Federal Government’s Ranching Policy in Benue, Nigeria.

The Nigeria Catholic Diocesan Priests Association (NCDPA) of the Makurdi Diocese has expressed its disapproval of the Federal Government's initiative to incorporate Benue State into the pilot National Ranching Policy.

Under the leadership of Chairman Rev. Fr. Joseph Terfa Beba, the priests have asserted that commercial ranching is not feasible in this agrarian state and have called for the safe return of displaced residents to their ancestral lands prior to any discussions on the matter.

For almost ten years, Benue State has been the site of intense conflicts between local farming communities and heavily armed pastoralists.

These confrontations have led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of individuals, forcing many indigenous people into extensive Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. The NCDPA contends that the introduction of commercial ranching in a predominantly agrarian society is not only economically impractical but also socially volatile.

The priests have raised concerns regarding the absence of transparent consultations with the Benue State Government, traditional leaders, and the communities that would be directly affected by the land zoning.

Benue's economic structure is predominantly based on crop farming; thus, the implementation of large-scale pastoralist ranching fundamentally undermines the state's ecological and agricultural characteristics.

The clergy insists that the federal government must prioritize the safe return of all displaced residents of Benue to their ancestral lands before any discussions regarding structural ranching can be considered.

The declaration made by the priests strongly coincides with the enduring efforts of Most Rev. Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, the Catholic Bishop of the Makurdi Diocese. Bishop Anagbe has consistently criticized federal policies that unintentionally validate the ongoing occupation of indigenous lands that have been taken by force.

"Our land is not for sale and has never been available for sale," the association emphasized, reiterating that ancestral lands should never be treated as commodities in federal negotiations for peace.