Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has rejected any proposal to establish ranches in the state without the approval of his administration and the people of Benue.
Alia made his position known on Tuesday, August 25, during a town hall meeting with stakeholders from the Katsina-Ala, Ukum and Logo federal constituency.
The governor warned that residents would resist any attempt to take their land for pastoral activities, insisting that no one would be allowed to force the state to surrender its territory.
“Nobody will force us to cede even an inch of our land to pastoralists for any purpose.”
He added:
“If that must happen, I can assure you, it will not be this time that I am still the governor of Benue.”
His comments come amid the Federal Government’s proposed ranching programme aimed at addressing the persistent farmer-herder crisis, which has led to deaths, displacement and destruction of property in Benue and other parts of the country.
The Federal Government has announced plans to begin the ranching initiative with a pilot project in Plateau State before extending it to Benue, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Adamawa and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Alia Announces New Security Measures
During the meeting, Governor Alia also announced measures aimed at strengthening security across Katsina-Ala, Ukum and Logo.
He said three military operational units would be established in the area under the newly created 5 Division of the Nigerian Army.
The units are expected to be located in Agu in Katsina-Ala, Anyiin in Logo and Azendeshi in Ukum.
The governor also announced the donation of 30 motorcycles to security agencies to improve patrols and enable faster responses to distress calls.
Government Plans 460MW Dam
On infrastructure development, Alia disclosed that his administration was planning the construction of a dam with an estimated electricity generation capacity of 460 megawatts.
According to him, the project would provide water and also support electricity generation in the state.
Alia is currently on a statewide thank-you tour following his emergence as the All Progressives Congress (APC)candidate for the 2027 governorship election.
The tour involves town hall meetings with stakeholders across Benue’s 11 federal constituencies.
The governor said similar engagements would be held in the remaining constituencies in the coming days.