By Henry Ojelu

The Forum of Ayatutu Professors, FAP, has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed pilot implementation of its National Ranching Policy in Benue State and other selected states, describing the programme as “misguided and mischievous.”

The group, a non-profit and non-political organisation comprising academics and intellectuals of Tiv extraction, made its position known in a statement dated August 22, 2026, signed by its Chairman, Board of Trustees and Council of Management, Tor Joe Iorapuu and Secretary, Simon Irtwange.

The Federal Government had on August 11, through the Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, announced Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Adamawa and the Federal Capital Territory as pilot locations for the National Ranching Programme.

But FAP said the announcement had generated widespread opposition in Benue and other affected Middle Belt states because, according to the group, indigenous communities were not adequately consulted before the decision was taken.

The professors said they “totally and comprehensively” rejected the proposed ranching programme, particularly its implementation in Benue, insisting that the state’s people were not opposed to ranching as an economic activity.

Rather, FAP argued that its opposition was based on the manner in which the policy was being introduced and the perceived implications for land ownership, displaced communities and the security of residents.

The group also rejected the Federal Government’s explanation that the pilot states were selected because of the “preponderance of herder-farmer conflict.”

FAP said what had occurred in Benue should not be reduced to farmer-herder clashes, alleging that communities had suffered attacks, killings, destruction of farms and displacement.

It said decades of insecurity had left a large number of Benue residents in internally displaced persons, IDP, camps and urged the government to prioritise their safe return to their ancestral homes.

On the history of ranching in the state, FAP said the concept was not new to Benue, citing the establishment of a Livestock Investigation and Breeding Centre at Raav in 1953 and the Ikyogen Cattle Ranch in Kwande Local Government Area during the administration of the late Governor Aper Aku between 1982 and 1983.

It also cited the Benue State Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranching Establishment Law enacted in 2017 under former Governor Samuel Ortom.

The group therefore maintained that the current opposition was not targeted at the economic value of ranching.

On the legal implications, FAP argued that the Federal Government could not confiscate lands belonging to indigenous communities and transfer them to pastoralists.

It further argued that government policy could not override existing laws, including the Land Use Act and the Benue State anti-open grazing legislation.

According to the group, Sections 43 and 44 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, guarantee citizens’ right to property.

FAP also claimed that there were no gazetted grazing reserves or designated grazing routes in Benue State, insisting that the state government had consistently maintained that no land had been officially allocated for grazing reserves, cattle colonies, RUGA settlements or the National Livestock Transformation Programme.

The professors called on the Federal and state governments to prioritise the welfare of displaced Benue residents.

Among their demands were justice for more than one million displaced persons, security and infrastructure to facilitate their return, and payment of N1 trillion compensation to victims of attacks.

They also called for the construction of at least 40 dams across the state, dredging of the River Benue and Katsina-Ala for irrigation, and the vacation of lands allegedly taken over by pastoralists.

FAP urged elected representatives and political appointees from Benue to publicly declare their positions on the ranching policy.

It also appealed to traditional rulers to remain united in defending their communities.

The group further called on the Federal Government to suspend the pilot ranching programme until the concerns raised by Benue stakeholders were addressed.

“FAP rejects this repressive policy in all its ramifications and in whatever shape or form,” the group said, urging the Federal and state governments to urgently respond to its recommendations.