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A coalition of stakeholders from the South-East, under the banner of Concerned Igbo Groups, has firmly opposed the proposed implementation of the RUGA settlement scheme in the region.

Describing the initiative as “reverse colonisation,” the groups argued that it carries no economic value for the people of the South-East and offers no tangible benefit to local communities.

They insisted that cattle rearing is a private enterprise and should not be forced upon the region in the name of government policy.

In a statement issued on Monday, the position of the groups was outlined and endorsed by several key figures, including Ben Nwankwo and Evans Nwankwo, Executive Directors of Ambassadors for Self-Determination, USA; Sylvester Onyia, President of American Veterans Of Igbo Descent (AVID); Maxwell Dede of the Rising Sun Group; and Rev. Father Augustine Odimegwa.

The coalition rejected efforts by the Federal Government to introduce RUGA settlements in the South-East, alleging that the project is a strategic move to take over ancestral lands and hand them over to Fulani herders under the pretext of agricultural development.

They cited the scarcity of land in the region, pointing out that with over 800 people per square kilometre, the South-East is already Nigeria’s most densely populated area, leaving little to no room for such schemes.

The group stated emphatically:

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“We the concerned people of Igbo land have said it before and we are saying it again, there is no land for RUGA anywhere in Igbo land not today, not tomorrow, not ever.

“We are already struggling to find land for farming, housing, and industries. So how can anyone expect us to give out land for cows? If the government is serious about ranching, let them go to Niger State, which has over 76,000 square kilometres of land far more than the whole of the South-East put together.

“We will resist it with everything in us. RUGA is not about peace or development. It is a private business disguised as a government policy. It is a hidden plan to take over our ancestral lands and hand them to Fulani settlers, using agriculture as an excuse,” the statement said.

In addition to land concerns, the groups voiced alarm over the potential security risks tied to the RUGA plan. They referenced recent violence in Benue State, where lives and properties were lost, as a warning of what such policies could trigger in other regions.

They also pointed to the Lokpanta cattle market in Abia State, which they said has turned into a hub for crime, kidnappings, and violence a situation they are determined not to see repeated or expanded across the South-East.

In their final remarks, the coalition issued a stern warning to Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, urging him to refrain from any talks or deals related to RUGA, adding that any attempt in that direction would be fruitless and strongly resisted.

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The statement added, “We are using this medium to warn Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State. Stop playing with Igbo lives. Stop negotiating with our blood.You were not elected to sell our land or our future. We also call on all governors and politicians in the South-East who may have collected N6 billion each as bribe to support this RUGA project return the blood money now. The people are watching. History will remember. And there will be no hiding place for anyone who betrays Igbo land.

“We are not against any Igbo man or woman who wants to do livestock business. In fact, many of our people are running successful farms in Nsukka, Eke, Obollo Afor, and other places.
But those are private businesses on family land not federal land grabs under the cover of RUGA.

“What we reject is a plan that will turn us into strangers on our own land, where outsiders come, settle, multiply, and eventually take over our communities. That is reverse colonisation, and we will never allow it.”

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