Herders/farmers crisis: Benue IDPs peaks 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 suspend the return of the IDPs due to the renewed attacks by suspected herdsmen in some local government areas 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 with their herds of cattle and other animals and also when they attacked the state governor on his farm earlier this year.

He said that the humanitarian situation in Benue is getting worse as the state government apart from the displaced people in the state, also had to cater for the over 6,000 Cameroonian refugees who were settled in the state.

“Benue State Government has since January 15th, 2018 had to cope with a protracted security situation that put at grave risk the lives of the good people of the state, due to incessant or frequent armed attacks upon unarmed citizens by armed herdsmen. While the 6,000 Cameroonian refugees were settled in November 2017, the issue of Benue State people displacement started in 2018.

“Over the course of these attacks no less than 13 out of the 23 Local Government Areas (LGA) in the state have been ravaged while a number of communities have been abandoned. No less than 483, 692 citizens or 83, 608 households that were displaced have lived in IDPs camps and host communities across the state since then,” Shior said.

He said that by October 2019, the Benue State Government started to consider options for the safe return of the IDPs to their original homes, whereupon Benue SEMA commissioned an assessment to determine the readiness of the IDPs and any issues that needed to be addressed ahead of their safe return.

“In the wake of effort by government to ensure the safe return of the IDPs, a sudden, heightened state of insecurity resumed in the State due to renewed influx of armed herdsmen and a resurgence of armed attacks on armed security officials and unarmed citizens,” he said.

He said that on March 2, 2020 the state governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom, convened a stakeholders meeting where the matter was discussed.

He said that following discussion by stakeholders, government resolved to suspend the plan to return the IDPS to their original habitations for security reasons.