IDPs number rises to 483,692, as govt suspends return

The Benue State Government has said that the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) due to the protracted farmers and herdsmen crisis has reached 483,692.

The Executive Secretary, Benue State Emergency Management Agency (Benue SEMA), Dr. Emmanuel Shior, told newsmen on Friday in Abuja while giving an update on the humanitarian situation in the state and government’s resolve to fully restore security for the safe return of the IDPs to their original homes as soon as possible.

He also said that the state government has temporarily suspended the return of the IDPs due to the renewed attacks by suspected herders in some local governments in the state.

When asked how the Benue State Government knew the identities of the attackers, Shior said the attackers were known with their herds as they currently occupied the attacked locations in scores.