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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi and Jude Owuamanam, Jos
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State and the Mwaghavul Youth Movement (MYM) in Plateau State have separately rejected claims involving the use of land in their respective states for ranching and cattle rustling, describing the allegations as false, misleading and capable of heightening tension in communities already affected by insecurity.
In Benue, the PDP dismissed a claim by the new Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Chief Solomon Iorpev, that the immediate past administration of Governor Samuel Ortom granted the Federal Government permission in 2017 to establish ranches in parts of the state.
Iorpev, after his maiden State Executive Council meeting last Friday, told journalists that the Ortom administration had, on October 16, 2017, given the Federal Government the liberty to establish ranches in certain areas of the state.
“Exactly on the 16th of October 2017, the previous administration had given the Federal Government liberty to go ahead and create ranches within this area,” he said.
The commissioner said government was a continuum and that the present administration had inherited the arrangement and was taking steps to facilitate its implementation, although he added that consultations with the affected communities were ongoing. But the Benue PDP, in a statement signed by its State Secretary, Dan Nyikwagh, described the claim as “blatantly false, mischievous and completely unfounded.”
The party challenged the commissioner to produce documentary evidence of the alleged grant, asking whether it was contained in a Bill, Executive Council resolution, official correspondence, gazette or land allocation instrument.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Benue State Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, 2017 was signed into law by Governor Samuel Ortom on May 22, 2017, following extensive consultations with stakeholders,” the party said.
It noted that the law provided a six-month transition period and was scheduled to take effect in November 2017.
“Therefore, as at October 2017, the law was already in existence. There was no provision in that law granting the Federal Government any portion of Benue land for the establishment of ranches,” the PDP said.
The party argued that the claim was fundamentally at odds with the policy of the Ortom administration, which it said was already implementing legislation designed to prohibit open grazing and regulate ranch establishment.
It therefore demanded that Iorpev produce the alleged document or withdraw the claim, insisting that there was “no third option for a government that claims to be guided by facts.”
The party also accused the present administration of attempting to rewrite the history of the state for political convenience, warning that it would not allow “politically convenient falsehoods” to replace official records.
While the controversy over land and ranching continues in Benue, a similar dispute over allegations linked to cattle rustling has emerged in neighbouring Plateau State.
The Mwaghavul Youth Movement has rejected allegations by the Gan Allah Fulani Development Association of Nigeria (GAFDAN) that communities in parts of Plateau State are being used as enclaves for concealing rustled cattle.
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GAFDAN, through its media team, had alleged in online publications that several communities across Mangu, Barkin-Ladi, Bassa, Jos South and Riyom Local Government Areas were being used as shield areas for concealing stolen livestock.
But the Mwaghavul youths, in a statement signed by their Director of Public Affairs, Tubwot Joël Sunday, on behalf of President Kyesmang Jonathan Yusuf, described the allegations as false, irresponsible and potentially dangerous.
The group said the allegations were made against entire communities without verifiable evidence, identified suspects, recovered livestock, arrest records or findings from any competent security investigation.
It reiterated its condemnation of cattle rustling and other forms of criminality, urging security agencies to arrest, investigate and prosecute anyone found to be involved in the theft, concealment or movement of stolen livestock.
“The Mwaghavul Youth Movement therefore rejects the attempt to present such allegations as established facts,” it said.
The youths specifically defended communities including Panyam, Kerang, Ampang, Mangun, Kombun and Bwai, describing them as homes to law-abiding citizens, farmers, families, traditional institutions and legitimate economic activities.
“They are not criminal organisations, and their residents must not be collectively criminalised because of unsubstantiated claims circulated on social media,” the group said.
The movement challenged those making the allegations to provide evidence, asking where the recovered cattle, identified suspects and arrest records were and which competent security agency had officially designated the communities as “shield areas.”
“Serious security allegations require serious evidence,” it said, warning that social media publications, ethnic insinuations and unverified intelligence could not substitute for professional investigation and due process.
The youths expressed concern that such allegations could worsen insecurity and communal tensions by exposing innocent residents to suspicion, attacks and potentially indiscriminate security operations.
The movement called on security agencies to distinguish between individual criminal suspects and entire communities, stressing that anyone found culpable should face the law.
“But no innocent Mwaghavul community or resident should be treated as a criminal merely because of his or her place of residence or ethnic identity,” it said.
The twin reactions from Benue and Plateau come against the backdrop of longstanding tensions over land, grazing, cattle rustling and insecurity across parts of the North-Central, where disputes involving pastoralism and access to land have frequently acquired political and communal dimensions.
Both groups, however, insisted that allegations involving communities or previous administrations must be supported by verifiable evidence and official records rather than political claims or unsubstantiated narratives.
