At least 50 communities across five local government areas (LGAs) in Benue State have been deserted following fresh waves of attacks by armed herdsmen, a new report by the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has revealed.
The report, titled “Displaced Communities in Benue State Where Fulanis Have Settled with Their Cows,” shows that the violence has now touched 25 council wards, with Gwer West LGA bearing the heaviest brunt.
“All 15 council wards in Gwer West have been affected at some point,” SEMA stated in the report, painting a grim picture of the widespread displacement rocking the area.
Among the affected wards are Sengev, Gbaange/Tongov, Saav, Mbapupuu/Tswarev, Mbabuande Kyaav, Mbapa, Tsambe/Mbesev, Sengev/Yengev, Merkyegh, Nyamshi, Tijime, Tyough Ater, and Njaha.
The crisis is not confined to Gwer West alone. SEMA confirmed that parts of Guma, especially communities in Mbadwem, Nyiev, Mbaba, Uvir, and Mbayer/Yandev, have also been overrun. Attacks have equally hit Gwer East’s Mbalom ward, Makurdi’s Mbalagh and Bar wards, and Moon and Anwase wards in Kwande LGA.
“There are many more, but these are the ones I can confirm for now,” said Terna Ager, SEMA’s information officer, emphasising that the full extent of the crisis may be even worse.
Thousands of residents have now been forced to flee their ancestral homes, seeking refuge in makeshift shelters or at the 13 official Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps scattered across the state. Many others are being accommodated by relatives in safer areas.
The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, with many victims spending years in camps without any real hope of returning home.
Among those who witness the devastation is Iorbee Ihagh, a retired Comptroller of Prisons and President of Mdzou U Tiv Worldwide. Lamenting the state of his home community in Moon ward, Kwande LGA, Ihagh said:
“Our community has been abandoned for years due to repeated attacks. Public facilities like markets, healthcare centres, and schools have all been destroyed.”
Calling for urgent government action, Ihagh didn’t mince words.
“The Federal Government must declare a state of emergency in Benue. The situation is out of control,” he said.
The findings from SEMA only add to the growing fears that unless swift and decisive steps are taken, the humanitarian crisis in Benue will deepen even further, leaving already displaced communities with little hope of recovery.
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