Farmers-herders crisis: Southern, M’Belt leaders reject FG ranching plan

Southern and Middle Belt leaders have rejected the Federal Government's proposed ranching plan. They express concerns that the plan could lead to land grabbing and the takeover of ancestral lands.

The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders' Forum (SMBLF) described the proposed pilot scheme for a new national livestock policy as opaque, coercive, and discriminatory. The leaders, including Oba Oladipo Olaitan, Dr Bitrus Pogu, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, and Ambassador Godknows Igali, warned that the initiative could eventually expand to Southern states if not properly addressed.

The proposed pilot areas include Nasarawa, Plateau, Benue, Southern Kaduna, Taraba, and the Federal Capital Territory, mostly located in the Middle Belt region. The leaders emphasized that they support modern livestock production and development of Nigeria's livestock value chain, but any policy must respect the rights of indigenous communities.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Punch Nigeria, This Day — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.