Daniel Otera
A fresh wave of violence in Benue State has renewed global concern, as the European Union pledged €500,000 (₦886 million) to address the deepening humanitarian crisis affecting internally displaced persons (IDPs) across the state.
Since 2018, Benue has remained one of Nigeria’s most troubled displacement flashpoints, with more than 1.5 million people forced from their homes due to recurring attacks blamed on armed herders, banditry, and communal clashes. Data from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) shows that Benue accounts for nearly 15 percent of Nigeria’s total internally displaced population.
In its June 2025 flash report, the IOM revealed that over 23,000 residents were newly displaced in Logo, Ukum, and Gwer West local government areas following renewed attacks. Many of the victims, it noted, had already experienced previous displacements, exposing them to “a dangerous cycle of repeated flight and prolonged vulnerability.”
A joint update by NEMA and Amnesty International highlighted that women, children, and persons with disabilities remain the most exposed in overcrowded camps where access to food, clean water, shelter, and protection remains severely limited.
“These recurrent attacks have made it nearly impossible for families to return home or rebuild their lives,” Amnesty International noted in its July 2025 report.
“The humanitarian situation in Benue continues to deteriorate, despite multiple rounds of emergency support.”
Confirming the EU’s intervention, Ugo Sokari-George, Public Affairs Officer for the EU Delegation to Nigeria, said the funding will support emergency relief for a period of six months.
“In response to the influx of displaced people following the recent attacks in Benue State, the EU has released €500,000 (approximately NGN 886,315,000) to meet the most urgent humanitarian needs,” he said.
The funds, to be disbursed in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration, will target critical sectors including shelter, protection, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and multi-purpose cash transfers.
“Conditions inside the camps are dire. There is a severe lack of shelter for families and inadequate access to WASH services.
Access to livelihoods remains precarious, while protection risks have increased considerably,” Sokari-George added.
An analysis of verified data from Amnesty International and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) shows that between 2024 and 2025 alone, at least 6,896 lives were lost in violent attacks across Benue making it the deadliest state in Nigeria’s North Central region during the period.
Further estimates from Amnesty place the number of people newly displaced within that timeframe at over 400,000, including the 23,000 displaced in June 2025 alone.
“Displacement in Benue is no longer seasonal or short-term. Families are now trapped in a cycle of violence and prolonged displacement,” Amnesty International stated.
The IDMC’s Global Report on Internal Displacement (2023) similarly flagged Benue as one of the epicentres of Nigeria’s protracted displacement crisis, where most camps fall short of international minimum humanitarian standards.
A 2023 field assessment by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) found that over 65 percent of displaced families in Benue were living in makeshift shelters without access to clean water, sanitation, or healthcare conditions that have contributed to rising child mortality and increased gender-based violence.
Despite the severity of the crisis, humanitarian funding remains grossly inadequate.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reported that only 35 percent of required funding for Nigeria’s IDP response was met in 2024, leaving hundreds of thousands, many of them in Benue, without sustained access to food, shelter, or healthcare.
The Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) also admitted during a July 2025 budget hearing that the state lacks the resources to meet the growing needs of displaced populations.
“Our shelters are stretched beyond capacity. We’re relying heavily on donor interventions because our own funds are limited,” a senior SEMA official said during a stakeholder meeting in Makurdi.
While humanitarian agencies have introduced small-scale reintegration programmes across parts of the state, large-scale return remains elusive due to persistent insecurity.
Communities in Guma, Logo, Kwande, and Agatu LGAs remain volatile, with confirmed attacks recorded in the first half of 2025 alone. In June, the Benue State Police Command announced the arrest of over 40 suspected armed herders and local bandits in connection with recent killings and displacement.
A 2024 report by SBM Intelligence further revealed that over 70 percent of displaced households in Benue lack access to regular income. Many IDPs rely entirely on food aid, seasonal farming, or petty trade inside overcrowded camps. These economic constraints continue to deepen humanitarian vulnerability and prolong displacement.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) echoed these concerns during a 2024 workshop in Makurdi, warning that conditions are not yet safe for voluntary return, as many displaced families still fear re-attacks.
“This is not just about aid, it is about restoring human dignity,” Sokari-George stressed. “Nigeria must take bold steps to protect vulnerable populations and end the cycle of displacement.”
The EU’s ₦886 million intervention signals renewed international commitment, but it is not a solution to the root causes of displacement in Benue.