By Amos Aar
THE BENUE State Government has denied claims suggesting it has ceded land to the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) for ranching activities, describing the reports as misleading and inaccurate.
In a statement issued on Sunday by Dr. Aondoakaa Asambe, Director General of the Bureau of Livestock Development and Transboundary Animal Diseases Control, the state government clarified that the facility in question, the Livestock Breeding and Investigation Centre, located in Raav, remains fully owned and managed by the Benue State Government.
The controversy emerged following the recent visit of the Honorable Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, to the Raav facility.
According to Asambe, the visit was in response to Governor Hyacinth Alia’s appeal for FGN support to conserve and breed the indigenous Muturu cattle breed, also known as Bua Tiv, which is significant to the economic and cultural heritage of the Benue people.
He further stated that during the visit, the Minister requested that 500 hectares out of the existing 3,000 hectares at Raav be cleared for livestock fodder production, aimed at improving feed supply for livestock and boosting local and export markets, adding that the Minister also pledged to provide seedlings and technical assistance to the state for this purpose.
“The Federal Government does not own land in Benue State, and no land has been handed over to the Federal Government for ranching,” Dr. Asambe said, and attributed the false reports to a misunderstanding of the difference between ranching and fodder production.
According to the Bureau, the planned fodder production project is strictly for cultivating grasses to enhance livestock feed capacity and does not constitute the establishment of a ranch.
The FGN’s role, the Bureau noted, is limited to providing support through seedlings and expertise.
The statement added that the Minister has encouraged the Benue State Government to fence and prepare the land for the fodder project, reaffirming that the initiative will remain under the state’s control.
“The Minister’s remarks were clear and on record; there is no ambiguity,” Dr. Asambe said.
The clarification comes amidst heightened sensitivity around land ownership and cattle grazing issues in Benue, a state known for its anti-open grazing stance and the attendant violent attacks on communities across the state by Fulani herders.
