Gov Alia calls for global intervention in Benue humanitarian crisis

Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, lamented on Tuesday that the state is still bedevilled by a huge humanitarian crisis occasioned by the incessant attacks of herdsmen and other criminal activities.

The governor, who made the lamentation when he received the officials from the United States Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USBHA) at the government house in Makurdi, called for intervention in the humanitarian needs of the people of the state.

Drawing from the report of Internally displaced persons data for 2022, the governor said that over 1.5 million people in the state are currently displaced and have no access to potable water or other good things in life

Alia said that the government and people of the state have been threatened by insecurity due to herdsmen attacks, kidnappings, and armed banditry activities.

He added that, on assumption of office, the government’s government had encountered enormous humanitarian crises occasioned by various forms of attacks and natural disasters.

According to him, “Benue State has continued to experience intense conflicts and tensions as a result of herder/farmer clashes, kidnappings, and armed banditry, which have disrupted the agrarian lives of our people.”.

“Insecurity is becoming a growing concern in our state. However, our administration is committed to finding lasting solutions to these disputes and fostering peaceful coexistence among all residents of the state.

“Towards this end, we decided to adopt the “three Rs: reconciliation, rehabilitation, and rebuilding in the affected areas of the state.

“My administration is working assiduously to resettle the internally displaced persons back to their ancestral homes.

Governor Alia thanked the officials of the United States Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and the International Organisation for Migrants for coming to the aid of the state.

He also called on other development partners working in the state to support his administration and develop a comprehensive template to bring lasting solutions to the humanitarian crisis in the state.

Earlier, in his remarks, the leader of the delegation and Senior Humanitarian Advisor to USBHA, Patrick Robinson, said they were in the state and that their presence in the state was to assess the humanitarian situation and to see areas where they could assist in resolving the crisis.

He maintained that USBHA had been intervening in humanitarian crises in the North East since 2016, adding that the organisation had also rendered tremendous assistance to the government of Borno State and is currently intervening in humanitarian crises in the North West geopolitical zone of Nigeria.

He thanked Governor Alia for the warm reception accorded to the delegation and assured USBHA’s commitment to address the challenges confronting the state in the area of humanity.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said his office had put up a resettlement data plan that will also be submitted to the government for immediate action.

As of the time of filing this report, the team has visited three IDP camps: Ichawa and Bakkaa in Makurdi LGA and Ukpan in Guma LGA of the state.