The Universal Reformed Christian Church, popularly known as NKST, has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed pilot ranching programme in Benue State, calling for the return and resettlement of displaced communities before any ranching project is implemented.
The church alleged that 5,987 of its members had been killed while 753 worship centres were destroyed in attacks blamed on armed herdsmen in Benue and neighbouring states.
The position was contained in a statement issued by the General Secretary of the NKST Synod Executive Committee, Rev. Ta Targba.
Targba said the church was not opposed to peaceful livestock farming or efforts by the Federal Government to address the longstanding conflict between farmers and herders.
However, he argued that selecting Benue as a pilot state for the ranching programme was inappropriate given the scale of killings, displacement and destruction suffered by communities across the state.
According to him, thousands of displaced residents remain unable to return to their ancestral communities, making their restoration and resettlement more urgent.
“Benue is not merely a geographical space available for government experimentation. The state is predominantly an agrarian society. Its land is the ancestral inheritance, economic foundation and livelihood of millions of people,” Targba said.
He noted that generations of Benue residents had cultivated their ancestral lands and established homes, churches, schools, hospitals, markets and other institutions.
The cleric maintained that government policies involving the allocation, acquisition or conversion of land must consider the ancestral rights, livelihoods, property rights and constitutional interests of affected communities.
Targba also questioned the decision to use Benue as a pilot state for the ranching initiative after years of violence that had displaced residents from several communities.
“The NKST Church therefore asks: Why should a state whose people have suffered displacement and destruction because of violent conflict now be selected as a laboratory for a policy involving land allocation for the same livestock economy that has been at the centre of these conflicts?
“The answer cannot be merely administrative. The people of Benue deserve to be heard,” he said.
The NKST General Secretary said the church’s opposition was driven by the impact of the prolonged security crisis on its members and institutions.
“Over 5,987 of our members have been killed; 753 of our worship centres were destroyed by these marauders,” he alleged.
The church urged the Federal Government to make the restoration and resettlement of displaced communities the foundation of any agricultural intervention in Benue State.
It also called for adequate security to ensure the safe and voluntary return of displaced persons to their ancestral communities.
NKST further urged the government to support the reconstruction of homes, schools, healthcare centres, markets, roads, water facilities and churches destroyed during attacks.
The church called for a comprehensive inventory of public and faith based institutions destroyed in affected communities.
It maintained that no ranch should be established on land belonging to communities whose residents had been violently displaced.
