NEMA Reports 6,527 Displaced by Benue Attacks in 2025

 The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) reported on June 16, 2025, that 6,527 residents have been displaced by armed attacks in Benue State since January, with 70% from Logo, Guma, and Katsina-Ala LGAs. 

The violence, driven by herder-farmer clashes and banditry, has overwhelmed 15 IDP camps, with 4,000 children among the displaced. NEMA’s Director-General, Zubaida Umar, announced N500 million in relief materials, including rice and blankets, to support affected communities.

The displacement follows 150 attacks in Q1 2025, killing 200 and destroying 1,000 homes, per Amnesty International. NEMA’s data, collected via drone surveys, shows 60% of displaced persons are women, with 20% lacking access to clean water. The agency has deployed 200 staff to coordinate aid, but insecurity hampers delivery, with 10 relief trucks ambushed in May, per BBC. Governor Hyacinth Alia’s claim that violence is confined to three LGAs aligns with NEMA’s findings.

Benue’s 1.5 million IDPs since 2015, per UNHCR, strain Nigeria’s humanitarian capacity, with only 30% of $1 billion in 2024 aid pledges fulfilled. NEMA’s collaboration with the Red Cross has provided medical care to 2,000 displaced persons, but 50% face malnutrition risks, per WHO. President Tinubu’s planned June 18 visit aims to boost relief efforts, with N1 billion budgeted for IDP resettlement.

The crisis, rooted in land disputes and climate-driven migration, requires long-term solutions, with 15% of Benue’s farmland contested. NEMA’s report underscores the urgency of federal and state action to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, as displaced residents demand safe return to their homes before the July planting season.