The Nigeria Catholic Diocesan Priests Association in Makurdi rejects Benue's inclusion in the FG's National Ranching Policy pilot, warning it could threaten ancestral lands and worsen the state's security crisis.
Makurdi — August 14, 2026
The Nigeria Catholic Diocesan Priests Association (NCDPA), Makurdi Diocese, has rejected the Federal Government's decision to include Benue State in the pilot phase of its National Ranching Policy, warning that the plan could endanger ancestral lands and the security of residents.
The reaction follows an earlier disclosure by Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Maiha, that the Federal Government had selected Benue alongside the Federal Capital Territory and other states for the pilot rollout of the ranching initiative.
In a statement signed by its chairman, Rev. Fr. Joseph Beba, the NCDPA described Benue as an already bleeding and heavily targeted state, and raised concern that the state government appeared to have been excluded from the decision-making process behind its inclusion in the pilot.
The association argued that a genuinely consulted state leadership would never have agreed to an arrangement it believes could undermine the rights, dignity, security, and ancestral heritage of Benue's people.
The priests said they could not accept what they characterized as an imposed policy on communities that have already endured killings, displacement, and prolonged insecurity, and cautioned that ranching must not become a cover for land grabbing, forced occupation, or the permanent displacement of indigenous residents.
The association also commended Catholic Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Wilfred Anagbe, for his consistent opposition to policies it views as threats to Benue's ancestral lands, declaring there would be no retreat on the issue "as long as we still draw breath."
The NCDPA urged the Federal Government to engage the Benue State Government, traditional rulers, and community leaders transparently before proceeding with any ranching arrangement in the state. It further demanded the safe return of internally displaced persons to their communities and the restoration of their access to ancestral land.
Describing Benue as a predominantly agrarian state, the association argued that commercial ranching was not economically viable there, and stated flatly that no land in the state was available for that purpose. It called on the Federal Government to reconsider the plan in favour of policies that prioritize the safety, dignity, and land rights of residents and support the return of displaced communities.
The rejection adds an early and significant point of friction to the federal ranching pilot just a day after its states were announced, and reflects the broader tension in Benue between federal livestock-reform ambitions and deep-seated local anxieties over land rights, anxieties sharpened by years of deadly farmer-herder violence that have already displaced large numbers of the state's residents.
It remains to be seen how the disagreement will affect the pilot's planned rollout, given the priests' insistence that they will resist the project "with all legal and spiritual resources."
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