Amid growing controversy over allegations that the Benue State Government has conceded part of Gwer West Local Government Area (LGA) for ranching, the Dean of Ikpayongo Deanery, Fr. Solomon Ukeyima, has urged stakeholders to remain calm, insisting that no land was sold or given out as alleged.
The controversy followed reports of an alleged meeting involving Fr. Hyacinth Alia, Governor of Benue State, and traditional rulers from Gwer West, with claims that part of the area had been earmarked for ranching.
Fr. Ukeyima, who had himself suffered displacement on three occasions as a result of herdsmen attacks, said he became “restless” after hearing reports about the governor’s meeting with some Tyoshin stakeholders.
“I was restless when I heard of the things said of the governor’s meeting with some Tyoshin stakeholders,” Fr. Ukeyima said.
He explained that he subsequently contacted the Ter Tyoshin, HRH Daniel Abomtse, as well as Rev. Fr. Bua, to establish what transpired at the meeting.
“According to them, no document was signed and no land sold or given out,” Fr. Ukeyima said.
According to the Dean, a committee was instead constituted to examine proposals reportedly presented by foreign investors and determine whether they would benefit the people of Tyoshin.
“A committee is to look into the foreign investors’ proposals, and some patriotic Tyoshin sons are mandated to thoroughly interrogate whether it shall be beneficial to us or not. We wait!” he said.
The development comes amid heightened sensitivity in Benue over proposals for ranching and other forms of livestock development, with communities wary of any arrangement that could affect ancestral lands or the interests of farmers displaced by previous attacks.
Fr. Alia has also publicly maintained that no portion of Benue land will be given out for ranching against the wishes of the people of the state.
The governor’s position is expected to allay concerns that his administration could approve a ranching arrangement without the consent of affected communities, insisting that the Federal Government won’t force the policy on the state.
Meanwhile, HRH Daniel Abomtse, Ter Tyoshin, who has been mentioned in connection with the alleged meeting, has yet to make a public statement on the controversy.
It also remains unclear whether the reported meeting considered the planned 19.56-hectare Benue Integrated Agro-Industrial Complex at Agagbe and Addongo villages in Gwer West LGA, or whether the project is connected to the controversy over alleged ranching arrangements.
For now, Fr. Ukeyima has urged stakeholders and residents to await the outcome of the committee’s deliberations rather than act on unverified reports, stressing the need to thoroughly scrutinise any decision on land and investment in the area and make it in the interest of the people.
