By Atoyebi Nike
The European Union has approved €500,000 (about ₦886 million) to deliver urgent relief to internally displaced persons in Benue State, where renewed violence has deepened a long-running humanitarian crisis.
EU Public Affairs Officer Ugo Sokari-George said on Thursday that the funds will be managed with the International Organisation for Migration over the next six months, targeting emergency needs such as shelter, protection, sanitation, water access, and direct cash support.
More than 1.5 million people have been forced from their homes in Benue since 2018, with escalating attacks in 2024 and 2025 alone killing around 6,900 people and displacing an additional 400,000. A fresh surge of violence in June 2025 forced nearly 23,000 to flee, many of them already displaced, worsening conditions in overcrowded camps.
Aid officials warned that shelters are inadequate, water and hygiene facilities are scarce, and vulnerable groups, including women, children, and people with disabilities, face heightened risks.
