Over 50 Benue communities displaced by armed herdsmen – SEMA
No fewer than 50 communities across five local government areas in Benue State have been sacked by armed herdsmen, according to data released by the Benue State Emergency Management Agency.
The report, which comes amid renewed attacks in Ukum, Logo, Otukpo, and Gwer East LGAs, details widespread displacement across 25 council wards, with Gwer West Local Government Area identified as the worst-hit.
“All 15 council wards in Gwer West have been affected at some point,” SEMA revealed in its report titled ‘Displaced Communities in Benue State Where Fulanis Have Settled with Their Cows’.
The affected wards include Sengev, Gbaange/Tongov, Saav, Mbapupuu/Tswarev, Mbabuande Kyaav, Mbapa, Tsambe/Mbesev, Sengev/Yengev, Merkyegh, Nyamshi, Tijime, Tyough Ater, and Njaha.
Other badly hit LGAs include Guma, where SEMA reported that several communities in Mbadwem, Nyiev, Mbaba, Uvir, and Mbayer/Yandev council wards have also been overrun by herders.
Gwer East’s Mbalom council ward, Makurdi’s Mbalagh and Bar wards, and Kwande’s Moon and Anwase wards were also listed among those suffering from sustained attacks.
SEMA’s information officer, Terna Ager, underscoring the scale of the crisis, said, “There are many more, but these are the ones I can confirm for now.”
The report paints a grim picture of the humanitarian situation in the state, with thousands of displaced persons forced to flee their ancestral homes and now living in makeshift shelters or IDP camps.
At least 13 official IDP camps are currently sheltering victims, while others have taken refuge with relatives in safer locations.
Reacting to the findings, retired Comptroller of Prisons and President of Mdzou U Tiv Worldwide, Iorbee Ihagh, lamented the destruction of entire communities in the Moon ward of Kwande LGA, where he hails from.
“Our community has been abandoned for years due to repeated attacks. Public facilities like markets, healthcare centres, and schools have all been destroyed,” Ihagh said.
He reiterated calls for decisive federal intervention.
“The Federal Government must declare a state of emergency in Benue. The situation is out of control,” he stated.
SEMA’s report adds to growing concerns over the unchecked violence in Benue State, where many displaced residents have lived in camps for over eight years, with little hope of returning to their homes.
