By Atoyebi Nike
The European Union has committed €500,000 (₦886 million) in emergency aid to support thousands of internally displaced people in Benue State, following a spike in violent attacks that have deepened an already critical humanitarian crisis.
The aid package announced Thursday by Ugo Sokari-George, Public Affairs Officer of the EU Delegation to Nigeria, will be delivered over six months in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
It will provide shelter, protection services, water, sanitation, hygiene, and multi-purpose cash assistance to affected communities.
The EU said escalating violence in June 2025 forced nearly 23,000 people to flee their homes, many of them for the second or third-time intensifying vulnerability in overcrowded camps lacking adequate shelter and basic services.
According to EU figures, over 1.5 million people have been displaced in Benue since 2018, with recent violence between 2024 and 2025 resulting in more than 6,900 deaths and displacing over 400,000.
The EU called the situation dire and stressed the need for urgent support, especially for women, children, and persons with disabilities, who face rising protection risks in the camps.
