Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has rejected any move to cede portions of the state’s land to pastoralists for ranching without the consent of his administration and the people.

Alia made his position known on Tuesday during a town hall meeting with stakeholders from Katsina-Ala, Ukum and Logo federal constituency as part of his ongoing statewide thank-you tour.

The governor said his administration would not permit any external force to take over Benue land for ranching, stressing that the people of the state would resist such a move.

“Nobody will force us to cede even an inch of our land to pastoralists for any purpose,” Alia said.

“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 designed to address the persistent farmer-herder crisis, which has resulted in killings, displacement and destruction of communities in Benue and other parts of the country.

The Federal Government had announced plans to commence the ranching initiative with a pilot project in Plateau State before extending it to Benue, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Adamawa and the Federal Capital Territory.

However, Alia’s remarks indicate that any ranching arrangement in Benue would require consultation with, and approval from, the state government and affected communities.

The governor also announced fresh measures aimed at strengthening security across Katsina-Ala, Ukum and Logo.

According to him, three military operational units would be established in the area under the newly created 5 Division of the Nigerian Army.

He said the units would be located in Agu in Katsina-Ala, Anyiin in Logo and Azendeshi in Ukum.

Alia further disclosed that his administration would donate 30 motorcycles to security agencies to enhance patrol operations and improve their response to distress calls.

On infrastructure development, the governor announced plans to construct a dam with an estimated power generation capacity of 460 megawatts.

He said the project would provide water and contribute to electricity generation in the state.

The governor is currently touring the state following his emergence as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the 2027 governorship election.

The tour, which features town hall meetings with stakeholders across Benue’s 11 federal constituencies, is aimed at engaging communities and expressing appreciation for their support.

Alia said similar engagements would be held in the remaining constituencies in the coming days.