The former Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa SAN, has cautioned against any move to permanently resettle internally displaced persons (IDPs) outside their ancestral communities.
Aondoakaa, who is also the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State, gave the warning on Monday during the Holy Mass and reception marking the Feast of Saint Thomas More, patron Saint of the laity, politicians and lawyers, held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral, Makurdi.
He warned that permanently settling victims of attacks outside their communities could lead to the gradual loss of their ancestral lands to those responsible for their displacement.
“The more we run, the more they take over our lands. Benue people should not be separated from their traditional homes where their history, culture and livelihoods are rooted.
“Restoring displaced persons to their communities would enable them to return to farming, which remains the major means of livelihood for many people in the state, while preserving their identity and heritage,” he said.
Aondoakaa insisted that government efforts should instead focus on creating conditions for their safe return, rather than relocating displaced persons away from their ancestral homes.
Earlier in his homily, Bishop Anagbe urged Christians, particularly leaders and public servants, to uphold truth, justice and integrity, using the life of Saint Thomas More as an example of commitment and courage in the face of persecution.
The Bishop encouraged the faithful to remain steadfast in doing what is right, regardless of personal challenges or opposition.
The ceremony also featured the celebration of the appointment of the Catholic Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Most Rev. Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria as the Episcopal Chairman for the Laity in Nigeria.
The celebration attracted Catholic faithful, clergy members, legal practitioners, political leaders and other dignitaries who gathered to honour Saint Thomas More and celebrate Bishop Anagbe’s new national responsibility within the Catholic Church.
Veteran journalist and recipient of A.B.C Yola, Reporter of the Year Award (1997), Hassan Umar Shallpella, works with WAP as a Regional Correspondence. He was trained at Institute of Mass Communication and Technology Jos and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Training School Lagos.He was a News desk Editor and a Correspondent at the Punch newspaper and till 2019, was the Deputy Editor ofThe Scope newspaper.
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