August 24, 2026
By Peter Duru, Makurdi
The Universal Reformed Christian Church, popularly known as NKST Church, has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed pilot ranching programme in Benue State, citing the killing of 5,987 of its members and the destruction of 753 worship centres during attacks blamed on armed herdsmen.
The Church said the proposed ranching scheme was unacceptable in a state where thousands of indigenous people had been displaced by violence and many communities were still unable to return to their ancestral homes.
The position was contained in a statement by the General Secretary of the NKST Synod Executive Committee, Rev. Ta Targba, who said the Church was not opposed to peaceful livestock farming but strongly rejected the use of Benue as a pilot state for the Federal Government’s ranching policy.
