Christian group at FG: Prioritize the return of Benue internally displaced people to their ancestral homes

The Ebenezer Christian Relief Initiative (ECRI) on Saturday urged the federal government to prioritize the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their ancestral homes to continue with their normal lives.

Speaking at a press conference in Makurdi, the group’s president, Rev. Dr. Augustine Akpen Leva, lamented that persistent insecurity has caused enormous suffering, with families losing loved ones, farmland and livelihoods, while many residents remain displaced in deplorable conditions.

The group also expressed deep concern over discrepancies between casualty data released by security agencies and eyewitness accounts, calling for accurate and transparent reporting.

He called for unity among traditional rulers, security agencies, community leaders and the Church to resist invaders seeking to occupy their lands.

While rejecting the pilot farming project in Benue State, he
said there is no place for the pilot farm in the state and that the organization will not support its implementation.

Dr Leva noted that Benue already has a legal framework that prohibits open grazing and provides for regulated livestock management, and insisted that any federal initiative must respect state laws, landowners’ rights, the interests of farming communities and the safety concerns of the people.

The immediate past president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Benue State chapter, said there is no land available for livestock farming in the state, stressing that livestock policies should not be imposed without genuine consultation with the state government, traditional rulers, community leaders, farmers and other stakeholders.

He clarified that ECRI does not oppose legal ranching development but calls for the protection of life, property, agricultural land and community rights.

Rev. Leva recalled that Governor Hyacinth Iormen Alia had already rejected this policy during his thanksgiving tour, declaring that “there is no land in the state for breeding pilots”, and urged the government to remain resolute in defending the legitimate interests of the Benue people.