5,000 killed in 200 attacks on Benue communities in 11 years — Ortom

At least 5,000 people have been killed in 200 attacks in Benue State following the armed invasion of rural areas within the past 11 years.

Governor Samuel Ortom reeled out the figures on Wednesday during the signing of the Benue State Peace Building and Reconciliation Commission Bill into law.

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Ortom noted that the security challenges that led to the humanitarian crisis in Benue were exposing the state to food crisis arising from food insecurity, risk of producing a generation of illiterates – as some children had been in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps for over seven years, rising mental health crisis due to unhealed trauma, stunted self-development, among others.

Earlier, the United Nations (UN) Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Matthias Schmale,

said, “with an estimated 374 ethnic groups and about 552 living languages spoken by over 206 million people, there is no limit to what Nigeria can achieve if it puts its mind to engaging all citizens, leveraging on education, culture and government support.”